With vaccines continuing to roll out across Ontario, particularly in COVID-19 hotspots, you may be wondering how Muskoka is faring in terms of vaccinating its residents.
According to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU), as of today, 20,073 Muskoka residents, about 30 per cent of the population, have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while another 2,328 have received a second dose.
In Huntsville, 6,728 (30.1 per cent) have received a first dose and 751 (3.4 per cent) have received a second. In Lake of Bays, 1,110 (31.4 per cent) have received a first dose and 46 (1.3 per cent) have received a second.
By age, the following percentages of people in Huntsville have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, following the province’s phased approach:
Over 75: 87 per cent
70-74: 80 per cent
65-69: 46 per cent
60-64: 48 per cent
50-59: 29 per cent
40-49: 16 per cent
30-39: 13 per cent
16-29: 8 per cent
See a full breakdown for the remaining municipalities in Muskoka in the graphics below.
In his weekly briefing today, SMDHU medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner, noted that variants of concern have “almost completely taken over” the COVID case count. For the week of April 18, 95 per cent of COVID cases in Simcoe Muskoka were variants of concern, he said, while so far this week all of the cases to date have been identified as variants of concern.
The majority of the variants of concern in the region are the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant, although there have also been cases identified as both the P.1 (Brazilian) and B.1.135 (South African) variants. In Muskoka, there have been 103 B.1.1.7 cases and one P.1 case to date.
Although not yet noted in the health unit’s stats, Gardner said that he received notice from Public Health Ontario that there is also one case in Simcoe Muskoka that has been identified as the B.1.617 (Indian) variant.
With the majority of cases now the more easily transmissible variants, Dr. Gardner recommended that residents accept the first vaccine they are offered.
Many residents have expressed frustration at the amount of time they’ve had to wait for a vaccine appointment despite registering once their age group became eligible.
Gardner said that a greater volume of vaccines will be coming to the region soon. “We’ve received communication from the province that we can expect quite a substantial increase in the volume of vaccines through the month of May. In the early part of May, very much directed toward our hotspot community [Bradford West Gwillimbury] but for the latter part of May an even larger portion coming to us simply on a per capita basis.”
He also noted that the health unit is monitoring how vaccines are being administered to year-round residents versus seasonal or non-residents. “People can come here from out of area to receive their immunization,” he said, just as those from Simcoe Muskoka can travel elsewhere to receive a vaccine. If that number gets out of balance, Dr. Gardner said he would use it to advocate for additional vaccines from the province.
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ANDRE BOUDREAULT says
Something is wrong with the data provided by the health unit. Supposedly LOB has a slightly higher vaccination rate than Huntsville, but when looking at the breakdown in each municipality by age-group, all except the 65-69 years old are higher for Huntsville than LOB. It just does not compute! I find the SMDHU has been fairly lax in their reporting: updates due Monday to Friday by 2 PM, but often late, especially on Mondays; we get news of big jumps in local cases on Monday for whatever happened from Friday to Sunday, instead of daily updates 7 days a week, etc.
Hans Marschdorf says
I trust that quite a few of these vaccinations were with the AstraZeneca vaccine. When will those of us, who accepted this vaccine and, as a result, made it possible for younger age groups to receive the other vaccines, be given any form of assurance that there will be vaccines available for our second shots? Even some form of expression of intent to allocate future vaccine deliveries to second shots would alleviate such concerns. The CBC addressed this issue recently, but I have not seen any statements from the health ministry or the Health Unit in response. If anybody else has, please post them here.
Hans Marschdorf says
Further to my post from yesterday, here is a link to an article published in the Globe and Mail on this issue last night; https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/article-can-i-get-a-different-type-of-vaccine-for-my-second-dose/. It is encouraging to realize that the issue is on the radar of competent doctors and researchers. I wish there also was more competent communication from the health authorities. If you want to combat “second shot hesitancy“ (the US is experiencing this despite excellent communication) you will need to up your game, quickly. I’m not speaking about myself. I positively will get a second shot even if I have to travel south for it, but keeping the goal of a resemblance with herd immunity in mind, you need to work on messaging NOW! True leadership means looking beyond the next wave, not just battling what kills you first.
Brenda Begg says
Hans: I too, wonder when those of us who were vaccinated with AstraZeneca will receive the second dose. My husband and I haven’t received any acknowledgement re a second dose. This is most certainly, a reasonable concern. It seems that those who got the Pfizer vaccine have their second dose appointment booked automatically. Should we have passed on the AstraZeneca and waited for the Pfizer? Maybe.
Hans Marschdorf says
Brenda: The question is a valid one and can only be answered considering your individual circumstance. On the plus side, those who took the AZ have been well protected for a while. I had my shot 6 weeks ago and have been reasonably well protected for 3 weeks now. I am grateful for that. What I am missing from the authorities is a commitment to the second shot if Canada does receive more AstraZeneca doses. Until recently, receiving AZ doses from the USA was a reasonable assumption, but since India screwed up its pandemic management like all the countries governed by populists, the burden on the USA to provide India with vaccines as opposed to Canada is high. The “if” has turned into a big “IF”. If you managed to read the article in the Globe and Mail, medical practitioners in Canada have been mulling the idea of providing other vaccines as second shots to those, who received AZ as their first shots. There is currently a trial in the UK, albeit only with 800 or so participants, about the safety and efficacy of mixing and matching vaccines, in particular AZ and Pfizer. Also, Denmark has stopped AZ altogether and is providing its citizens with Pfizer based second shots for those, who had AZ as their first shots and Germany has stopped AZ as second shots for the under 60 population. I would view these as uncontrolled trials, but we will hear about their successes/failures soon as the intervals to second shots in these two countries are a maximum of 12 weeks. What we need as citizens is a straightforward statement from the government what the options will be and how the issue will be approached and some assurance that we “AZ crash test dummies” won’t be forgotten. I do not regret having accepted the AZ shot, but if I had the same choice to make today, I would opt for anything but AstraZeneca. Again, not for safety concerns, but for concerns about receiving the second shot. Dr. Gardner: Talk to us!
Beryl I Clayson says
In reply to Brenda, not everyone who received the Pfizer vaccine automatically got the date for their 2d shot. Those who had their 1st shot before March 15th did not. These people were the ones over 85 and others who were vulnerable with various illnesses. I keep being told that we will hear soon how we are able to book a second shot but will there be any dates available if people who had their shots after March 15th already have all the available dates.
Beryl Clayson