With the province planning on eliminating proof of COVID-19 vaccine requirements on March 1, Chatham-Kent’s medical officer of health has said the local health unit will continue with the same strategy to get more of the local population vaccinated.
If current trends with the coronavirus continue, the province will no longer require people to have at least two doses of the vaccine to attend places like movie theaters and restaurants. Dr. David Colby said there isn’t a case to be made against vaccination.
“The majority of people have been vaccinated because they want to get vaccinated and recognize the value, which as more and more data accumulates, the value of vaccination becomes more and more apparent,” Colby said on a Feb. 17 media call.
“Really, the vaccine passports did push some people who were wavering into the ‘I’m going to get vaccinated’ camp, but the vast majority got vaccinated because they wanted to and recognized the value.”
He said going forward, public health will be “picking up slack in the youngest unvaccinated groups” and making sure those over 50 have their third dose.
As of Feb. 18, 86.4 per cent of Chatham-Kent residents 18 and older have at least two doses and 55.6 per cent have their third dose. Of those 12 and older, 85.1 per cent have their second dose and 51.5 per cent have their third dose.
With the population aged five to 11, 19.8 per cent have two doses and 42.1 per cent have at least one dose. Among those aged 12 to 17, 69.7 per cent have two doses and 73.2 per cent have at least one dose.
Over 47 per cent of the population aged five and older has the third dose.
While Colby has put in local measures that went beyond what the province was requiring at other times during the pandemic, he said in this case he will let the province make the decision to end the vaccine passport program.
He noted three doses offer the best protection against the Omicron variation, but only two doses are needed to enter these public spaces. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has recommended people wait three months after COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test before receiving the third dose.
“There is a lot of people that are out there that are technically not able to get vaccinated under the NACI recommendations,” Colby said. “You can’t really mandate that three doses are required for a vaccine passport, which really makes scientific sense because of Omicron and its less-than-ideal vaccine susceptibility.”
Colby said the province had the option of either extending the certificate to three doses or ending it, and Ontario officials chose to end it.
While the doctor said he won’t extend the program locally, private businesses may choose to require it at their establishments.
“We’re hearing from more and more people in the business sector that their customers are more comfortable with other vaccinated customers, so they really want that to continue,” Colby said. “I think that will be a business-by-business decision.”
Colby noted three doses of a vaccine provides a 60 per cent reduction in COVID-19 infection and is between 88 per cent and 95 per cent effective in preventing severe outcomes, depending on the study.