Photo: The Canadian Press

Nearly all of B.C.’s public school teachers are vaccinated for COVID-19, according to survey data released Tuesday from the BC Teachers' Federation.

According to the teacher’s union, their survey results suggest 94 per cent of teachers are fully vaccinated, with another one per cent reporting they have received a single vaccine dose, and intend to get the second.

Only two per cent of BCTF members surveyed said they are not vaccinated.

In a statement, Teri Mooring, BCTF president, said this puts the the rate of vaccination for B.C. public school teachers higher than the general population in the province.

“BC teachers are doing their part to keep everyone safe with very high vaccination rates,” Mooring said.

The union said it surveyed nearly 6,000 of its members from Sept. 22 to Oct. 11 about vaccination rates and questions related to health and safety during the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Mooring said they also found a potential COVID-19 mandate for public schools is supported by a majority of B.C. teachers.

“Overall, 82 per cent of teachers agreed that all adults working in B.C. schools should be vaccinated,” Mooring said.

Survey results also suggest nearly half of B.C. teachers don’t feel safe in their workplaces when it comes to COVID-19.

“There are ongoing gaps in measures to keep everyone safe in B.C. schools. The survey found roughly equal amounts of members who feel safe and unsafe,” Mooring said.

The BCTF said 53 per cent of teachers feel the amount of cleaning and sanitation isn’t enough to help reduce the spread of the virus.

A majority of teachers — 71 per cent — feel they haven’t received enough information about COVID-19 exposures and the number of confirmed cases in their schools and school districts.

The union said that survey results show the pandemic has had a negative effect on teachers’ mental health.

Just over a quarter of B.C. teachers report that the experience of teaching through the pandemic has made it more likely that they will leave teaching in the next two years.