Laggards

HPE trailing in the race to get vaccinated

Hastings – Prince Edward ranks among the slowest regions in Ontario to be vaccinated. As of May 8, just 33.9 per cent of the Health Unit’s (HPEPH) population had received at least one dose. This is according to Public Health Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Ontario: December 14, 2020 to May 8, 2021 report. This puts the HPEPH region tied with Middlesex for second last among 34 in the province—ahead of Algoma by two-tenths of a percentage point. On average, 38.7 per cent of Ontarians have received a first dose of the vaccine by May 8.

This region performs a bit better as measured by those fully vaccinated at 1.8 per cent of the population but still lags the Ontario average of 2.6 per cent—and a long way from the finish line.

A vaccinated population is critical to returning to a post-pandemic semblance of normalcy. So why are we lagging the province? What are the factors underlying this region’s relatively poor performance?

According to Dr. Ethan Toumishey, speaking for HPEPH, the region faces challenges with the vaccine supply. He noted this region got vaccines later than most areas in the province, which meant it got off to a slower start.

Then when the province moved to a 16-week interval between first and second doses—fewer folks in this region had received their first dose. This means that a smaller cohort has become eligible for their second dose—compared to other health unit regions.

Dr. Toumishey isn’t worried that other factors may be dampening vaccination rates in the region since he observes that Community Vaccination Clinics continue to be fully booked.

“We do not have concerns about vaccine confidence or awareness among the population at the current time,” said Dr. Toumishey.

It is important to note that the figures in Public Health Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Ontario report differ from the vaccination rates on the HPEPH dashboard, as this report is based off of the public health unit where the vaccine was administered rather than the public health unit where the vaccinated individual lives.