Delta strain now dominates, but close to 70% of Sudburians over 12 fully vaccinated, health unit reports
As local cases dry up, Public Health Sudbury & Districts said Thursday that 69.2 per cent of people older than 12 have now been vaccinated against COVID-19 with both shots.
More than 80 per cent have received at least one dose, the health unit said, bringing the area closer to the health unit's goal of getting 90 per cent of people in its coverage area fully vaccinated.
While the number new cases have dramatically slowed – no new cases have been reported in two days – there is a disturbing trend underlying the numbers: the extremely contagious Delta variant, which has sparked a surge of new infections among the unvaccinated south of the border.
"The more transmissible and dangerous COVID-19 Delta variant is now dominant in the area," the health unit said in its weekly roundup.
"Since July 1 … the majority (70 per cent) of COVID-19 cases reported in the Public Health Sudbury & Districts area are infected with a variant that has the Delta (B.1.617.2) mutation profile."
“The Delta variant can spread more easily and is associated with higher rates of hospitalization, ICU admission and death as compared with the Alpha variant,” Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, medical officer of health, said in a news release.
“COVID-19 vaccines are effective against Delta, but there is evidence of reduced protection against symptomatic disease after one dose. This means that two-dose vaccine coverage is important for everyone.
"Also, given how infectious Delta is, vaccination rates need to be as high as possible to protect against community spread. If you were waiting for yet another reason to get immunized, here it is,” she added.
Read the full weekly COVID-19 update from the health unit here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.