COVID-19 vaccinations of young people in Waterloo region outpace province

Ontario's chief medical officer is raising concerns that, at the provincial level, young people are lagging other age groups in getting vaccinated.

But Waterloo region's numbers show young people locally are outpacing other areas.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Dr. Kieran Moore raised concerns that over the last three months, 96 per cent of people between the ages of 19 and 29 who were infected with COVID-19 weren't vaccinated against the virus.

"That age group is coming down with a higher rate of disease than other age groups across Ontario," Moore said.

In Waterloo region, 20 to 29-year-olds make up a quarter of all local cases. Since July 1, the region has reported 494 cases of COVID-19, 52 per cent of which were in people under the age of 40.

When it comes to vaccinations, Public Health Ontario data shows 65.7 per cent of youth between 12 and 17 years of age have their first dose and 14.7 per cent have two doses.

In Waterloo region, those numbers are 66.17 per cent have first dose and 27.31 per cent have two doses.

The caveat to the Public Health Ontario numbers is that it only goes to July 7, lagging a week behind the region's numbers, which are as of Wednesday.

When looking at other age groups:

• 18 to 29-year-olds: Provincially, 67.8 per cent have one dose, 31.2 per cent have two doses. In Waterloo region, 82.47 per cent have one dose, 43.78 per cent have two doses.
• 30 to 39-year-olds: Provincially, 70.7 per cent have one dose, 37.3 per cent have two doses. In Waterloo region, 78.45 per cent have one dose and 48.09 per cent have two doses.
• 40 to 49-year-olds: Provincially, 76.3 per cent have one dose, 44 per cent have two doses. In Waterloo region, 77.67 per cent have one dose, 53.24 per cent have two doses.

Overall in the region, the number of adults who have received the first dose of the vaccine hit 81.06 per cent on Wednesday.

As well, 56.07 per cent of adults have received two doses, a significant jump since Friday, when 48 per cent of adults had a second dose.

22 new cases

Region of Waterloo Public Health reported 22 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. There were no new deaths reported.

There were 262 active cases in the region. As well, 25 people were in the region's three hospitals and 15 of those people were in the intensive care unit, which remained unchanged from the previous day.

There were 16 active outbreaks in the region, half of which were in workplaces. There were also:

• Three in long-term care and retirement homes.
• Two in hospitals.
• Two in congregate settings.
• One at a child-care centre or summer camp.

Family doctors to make calls

Dr. Sharon Bal, a family physician in Cambridge, says people in the region who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19 can expect to hear from their family doctor in the coming weeks.

Bal says local doctors began receiving updates on patients who have been vaccinated in mid-May. By the end of July, it's expected doctors will have a list of people who have not received it.

"We finally have a line of sight of who they are," she said. "That gives us an opportunity to really target outreach to them."

She says the goal of local doctors will be to answer any lingering questions or address concerns people may have about the vaccine.

She says it's similar work to what doctors do to help people understand other procedures or inoculations, such as the flu shot and infant vaccinations. 

Bal has worked at the drive-thru and hockey hub vaccination clinics and said there's often a number of reasons people have not received the vaccine yet that doesn't include hesitancy. Often, it's an accessibility issue and she says this is where neighbours, family and friends can help each other.

"I have seen many younger folks either help their elderly neighbours get registered or actually drive them to an appointment," she said. "It's an example of how this is a community effort. We're only going to get out of this as a community."

Listen to the full interview with Dr. Sharon Bal: