While Simcoe-Muskoka has seen a majority of eligible groups booking appointments and receiving COVID vaccines, vaccine hesitancy is still a hurdle that the health unit is hoping to overcome.
During Wednesday afternoon’s media briefing, Simcoe-Muskoka’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Charles Gardner addressed the hesitancy that still exists in the community, and discussed the most recent information available when it comes to current vaccine practices.
Gardner said the two mRNA vaccines – Pfizer and Moderna – are now viewed to be "interchangeable."
“If you’ve received Pfizer as a first dose, you can receive Moderna as a second dose,” he said. “This is one of the new recommendations that’s come through from the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations. They are both equally effective and equally safe.”
Gardner said the province is slated to receive a large shipment of Moderna in the coming weeks.
“It helps us all get to the level of coverage we’re going to need to get herd immunity to help avoid future waves of COVID-19. What’s key is that people do get their second dose. The Delta variant is increasing and we are expecting it will become dominant as a strain. It really requires a second dose of immunization to be well-protected,” said Gardner.
To date, 377,308 Simcoe-Muskoka residents (62.4 per cent of the population) have received their first dose of vaccination against COVID-19, and 73,409 people (12.1 per cent of the population) have also received a second dose.
According to the health unit, 15 per cent of the region's adult population (aged 18 and over) have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and another 58 per cent have received one dose. The remaining 27 per cent is unvaccinated.
Gardner said it would be ideal for 90 per cent of the eligible population to receive two doses in order to achieve herd immunity in Simcoe-Muskoka.
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