Concern among Canadians over Omicron won’t hamper holiday plans: Poll

Canadians are worried about the newest highly-mutated COVID-19 variant and even though that worry is creeping into holiday plans this year, it isn’t expect to alter them too much, a new survey has found.

According to a new Angus Reid survey, concerns about contracting COVID-19 are on the rise “after a decrease in November.”

In its latest poll, three in five respondents said they are feeling uneasy about becoming sick, and 73 per cent said they are worried their friends or family members will be infected by COVID-19.

Chart above via the Angus Reid Institute

Despite those concerns, the number of people planning on getting together with friends and family or attending their workplace parties has rebounded to a rate close to pre-pandemic levels, as vaccination levels of Canadians top 76 per cent.

However, as Omicron and the still-dominant Delta variant continues to infect people, 61 per cent of respondents said they will only be spending time with those who are vaccinated.

Meantime, as Canadian parents wait to better understand how Omicron works, a majority of those polled said they are ready to get their young children vaccinated. More than half of those with kids aged five to 11 said they are ready to get two doses of the shot into their children’s arms as soon as possible. Only 16 per cent of parents say they will wait.

It’s important to note parents who are on the fence about the COVID-19 shot for their children still feel the same as they did when they were first asked back in October — despite the vaccine rollout of this age group.

Some other key findings of the survey, include:

• Those 55 years and older are most concerned about becoming sick from COVID-19
• 80 per cent of Canadians say they plan to have dinner with their family this year to celebrate the holidays
• 38 per cent of parents say vaccinations should be mandatory in their child’s school