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By the numbers: 70 per cent of seniors vaccinated in Elgin, Oxford region

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About 70 per cent of residents 70 years and older in the Oxford and Elgin counties region have received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine, new health unit data shows.

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New figures released by the Southwestern public health Monday show that 69 per cent of people 80 and older and 70 per cent of people 70 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccination numbers dropped among the younger age groups, but numbers are expected to grow as more people become eligible and can book appointments, health officials said.

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“The numbers are still rising for those aged 70 and older each day. It is not rising as quickly as when those age groups first became eligible however,” said Dr. Joyce Lock, the region’s medical officer of health, in a statement. “The numbers for those aged 60 and older are still increasing rapidly as they only recently became eligible.”

Southwestern public health hopes to have 75 per cent of eligible residents vaccinated by September in keeping with provincial targets. People 16 and older are currently permitted to receive the shot when they are deemed eligible, according to public-health guidance.

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Currently, people younger than 40 can only receive the vaccine if they are eligible for a reason other than age, such as being Indigenous, work in health care or certain health conditions.

“We are expecting that as access increases, so will vaccination rates. Currently, more people are interested in getting the vaccine than there are appointments available due to supply,” Lock said.

But with new resources, public health is hoping to reach more people who may have lacked access to the vaccine rollout in the early days. 

“We also work closely with primary-care leads in our region to consult on information that will help inform consent, and we work with health partners and community organizations to identify where there are needs for innovative approaches to vaccination, such as mobile clinics for bed-bound individuals, small pop-up clinics in targeted areas, and any language barriers to consider for those who reside in our region,” Lock said.

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Thirty-three per cent of people 60 to 69 have received their vaccine. Eligibility for that age group opened recently, compared to availability for residents 70 and older. 

Sixteen per cent of people 50 to 59 have received a shot, as have 11 per cent of people 40 to 49 and 10 per cent of people 30 to 39.

Only two per cent of people under 20 have received a vaccine, and seven per cent of people 20 to 29 have received a shot. 

Vaccine bookings have been a challenge for some residents, public health officials acknowledged, noting demand still outstrips supply of the vaccine. In a bid to get more people vaccinated, public health opened a help list for resident 70 and older, allowing them to register to receive a phone call when an appointment slot, typically a missed or end-of-day dose, becomes available.

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“The help list is one strategy to reach those who are of advanced age to access a vaccination appointment,” Lock said.

Lock has discouraged so-called “vaccine shopping” and encourages people to get their shot as soon as possible.

“The best COVID-19 vaccine is the one you get in your arm,” Lock told reporters last week. “We encourage (residents) to consider AstraZeneca through pharmacy to get protection sooner.”

These latest figures come as pharmacies across the province began offering vaccines to residents 40 and older on Tuesday, another move expected to increase vaccine uptake among that age group in the Southwestern public health region. Many local pharmacies across the region, including ones in Norwich, Aylmer and Tillsonburg, among others, are now offering the shots by appointment.

A vaccination clinic is expected in Tillsonburg in the coming days, Lock said, and public health is working with family doctors to administer shots in their family practices after an Ingersoll doctor said he believed it could help address vaccine hesitancy.

According to Southwestern public health, 22,345 people in Oxford County, 9,587 people in Elgin County and 9,340 people in St. Thomas have received their vaccines.

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