Hamilton and Haldimand-Norfolk vaccine rates don’t hit Ontario’s reopening target

Hamilton and Haldimand-Norfolk are trailing behind other public health units in vaccinations just as Ontario reaches the earliest day it could lift further restrictions.

Ontario allotted a minimum of 21 days to Step 3 (which most of the province entered on July 16) and set a vaccination target before reopening further.

That target is to vaccinate 80 per cent of the 12-plus population with one dose. For two doses, that number is 75 per cent, with no public health unit having less than 70 per cent of the eligible population fully vaccinated.

But as Ontario reaches the three-week mark for Step 3 on Aug. 6, the province has yet to achieve those goals. Neither Hamilton nor Haldimand-Norfolk have reached 70 per cent full vaccination coverage.

While Hamilton's medical officer of health said the city has come a long way since vaccines first arrived locally, a lot of work lies ahead to protect residents from the Delta variant.

From a coverage perspective, are we there yet? ... No, unfortunately we're not," Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said in an interview with The Spectator. Unfortunately, we are behind other parts of the province in terms of hitting those goals."

Hamilton also set its own goal to reach 75 per cent coverage in every forward sortation area (the first three characters of a postal code).

As of end of day Aug. 4, Hamilton was sitting at roughly 77 per cent of its residents aged 12 and up having received at least one dose. Roughly 67 per cent were fully vaccinated. To get to the minimum 70 per cent expected of a public health unit for double-dose coverage in the 12-plus population, Hamilton has to vaccinate an estimated more than 17,000 residents - a goal expected to take several weeks at minimum," Richardson said.

And yet, the rate at which the city is vaccinating people has fallen dramatically over the past month. For a one-week period between June 28 and July 4, Hamilton administered 8,381 doses a day on average. Between July 29 and Aug. 4, however, the average dropped to 2,035 a day.

In Haldimand-Norfolk, the rates are even lower. Roughly 74 per cent of residents 12-plus received at least one dose as of end of day Aug. 4. About 65 per cent are fully vaccinated.

We're pleased to say while things are slowing down, they have not stopped," said Dr. Katherine Bishop-Williams. The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit epidemiologist said the lag in the local rates versus the provincial average was not incredibly surprising," partly because the region has generally seen slower uptake of new vaccines.

In rural communities we face a bigger challenge of being able to meet people where they are because of the need to cover so many small communities," she added, noting the health unit is shifting toward pop-up clinics as a result.

Those who remain unvaccinated tend to be in lower age groups in both Hamilton and Haldimand-Norfolk. Richardson pointed to the group from 18 to roughly 40 as those lagging the most in Hamilton, saying that group includes students who could be working summer jobs or have other priorities before returning to school.

While Hamilton is working with Mohawk College, McMaster University and school boards to increase access to vaccines, she said those eligible shouldn't delay getting their shots until they return to school, considering it takes at least four weeks to get both shots and two more for optimal effect.

You can't wait to see what happens in the fall," she said.

In Haldimand-Norfolk, only 29 per cent of youth ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, and 39 per cent of those 18 to 29.

We are struggling quite a bit there and certainly are aware of the need for targeted strategies for these populations," Bishop-Williams said, noting she believes increasing clinic times in the afternoon and evenings will help, as well as offering more workplace and youth-specific clinics.

This is more of a marathon, especially in some of our rural populations, than it is a sprint," she said.

Hamilton is also planning to roll out more mobile clinics to target areas with lower uptake over the next two to four weeks," Richardson added, noting other socio-economic factors play a role in vaccine uptake, including access to housing, child care and income level.

Dr. Fiona Smaill said it's disappointing" that the targets haven't been reached locally.

The probability of the Delta COVID virus spreading is actually fairly high, particularly if we open up," said the professor of microbiology and infectious diseases at McMaster.

She said while a COVID surge is not likely to overwhelm health care this time, it would still likely impact ordinary people in terms of getting tested and isolating when exposed to the virus.

You may not die, you may not go into hospital, but it will have that same disruption that we were challenged with for the last 18 months," she said.

Maria Iqbal is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator covering aging. Reach her via email: miqbal@thespec.com.