The local medical officer of health is pleased with the number of people who have signed up and received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
“We’ve had excellent uptake, and this certainly bodes well for us,” said Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. “We’re not finished yet. We possibly need to get as high as 89 per cent coverage, that’s the high-end estimate that Public Health Ontario has released.”
Gardner noted for that high percentage of coverage, children under 12 years old will eventually need to be vaccinated too.
“It’s quite possible that there’d be recommendations in the fall for children … the research is underway,” said Gardner. “I think that it’s critically important that we achieve high immunization in order to make it much more likely that we either don’t have a fourth wave at all, or that it be very diminished compared with what we’ve experienced.”
So far, the doctor said he’s pleased with the numbers, and has noted that communities with lower vaccination rates could benefit from pop-up clinics and additional transportation accommodation for people not able to get to a clinic. The health unit is also completing analysis to look for instances and reasons for vaccine hesitancy.
“We plan to address vaccine hesitancy later in June and to identify groups that need additional supports and help to identify how we can help them to overcome the hesitancy and identify whether or not it’s truly hesitancy, or just reduced opportunity for them that they have physical barriers to accessing it rather than an aversion to receiving immunization,” said Gardner.
In the Simcoe-Muskoka region, 58.9 per cent of the adult population aged 18 or older has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and about 55 per cent of the population aged 12 or older has received a first dose.
For a breakdown of vaccination rates per municipality and per age group, click here.
Midland vaccination rates
In Midland, 55.3 per cent (10,126 people) of the entire population has had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 9.2 per cent (1,677 people) of the population is fully vaccinated with two doses.
Those percentages are based on the 2020 Statistics Canada population data showing a population of 18,307 people in Midland.
The age breakdown of Midland residents who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine is as follows:
- Nine per cent of 12-17 year-olds
- 32 per cent of 18 to 29 year-olds
- 42 per cent of 30-39 year-olds
- 51 per cent of 40 to 49 year-olds
- 61 per cent of 50 to 59 year-olds
- 86 per cent of 60 to 69 year-olds
- 95 per cent of 70 to 79 year-olds
- 92 per cent of those aged 80 or older
In Midland, there have been six COVID-19 cases confirmed during the month of May, and there were 32 cases reported in the municipality in April.
Hotspot
Gardner said this is the first week in about three months that Bradford West Gwillimbury has not had the highest incidence rate in the region.
For the week of May 16, Bradford had the third-highest incidence rate at 103 cases per 100,000 people, which is down dramatically from 225 cases per 100,000 people in Bradford the week of April 25.
Case rates in Barrie, Innisfil, New Tecumseth, and Essa have similarly decreased by around 50 per cent from April 25 to May 16.
“Immunization continues in these communities, which is, I’m sure, a contributing factor to their success,” said Gardner.
Bradford West Gwillimbury was the only municipality in Simcoe-Muskoka declared a hotspot by the province in mid-April. The declaration prioritized Bradford for more immunizations across a wider age range. Since mid-April, anyone aged 18 or older has been able to get a vaccine. That expanded to people aged 12 and up recently.
The vaccine rollout in the hotspot areas has also included local pop-up clinics.
As of yesterday, 49.6 per cent of the population of Bradford West Gwillimbury had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, which is slightly above the Simcoe County rate of 47.8 per cent of the population.
Bradford’s vaccination rates for residents under 50 years old are the highest in the county.
The percentage of Bradford residents over 50 is at or slightly below the county average vaccination rates.
“Good progress is being made in the hotspot, and that may have contributed to the fact that they’ve had such a dramatic decline in transmission in their community,” said Gardner.
Book a vaccine
Anyone aged 12 or older who has not yet received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine can book an appointment online through the provincial booking system here, or by calling 1-833-943-3900.
You will need a health card and an email address to book online, and you will have to book both your first and second dose appointments.
Other options for vaccine booking include:
- First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals can also book at local Indigenous-specific clinics.
- You can sign up daily starting at 8 a.m. for the vaccine standby list (first dose only). If there are vaccine doses leftover at a clinic at the end of the day because people didn’t come for their appointment, you will be called to come for a last-minute appointment.
- Participating pharmacies are receiving supplies of Moderna and/or Pfizer vaccine. You must book an appointment through the pharmacy, and you’ll find a list of them here.
- If you are housebound or cannot get to a vaccination clinic, you can call the health unit at 705-721-7520 (1-877-721-7520) ext. 5997 to arrange other options for your vaccination.
For more about the COVID-19 vaccination options and second dose instructions, visit the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit website here.
