In the November issue of Health Affairs, Tiffany Fitzpatrick and her team of coauthors explore the impact of proof of COVID-19 vaccination policies passed in Canada’s ten provinces in the fall of 2021.
They determine that after the announcement of proof-of-vaccination policies, which were required for access to nonessential businesses and venues, “there was an immediate and substantial increase in the uptake of first doses across all age groups,” and especially among younger age groups.
But these behavioral changes were short-lived, with uptake returning to preannouncement levels or lower in all groups within six weeks.
Fitzpatrick and coauthors conclude that their results suggest that proof-of-vaccination mandates could be effective short-term policy measures, but additional measures might be needed to reach unvaccinated people and support long-term vaccine efforts.
