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More vaccinations are needed in the north to meet provincial goals

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It’s the least restricted that Ontario residents have been in for months, but experts in the north say a lot still needs to be done in order to keep this trend moving forward.

They say more people still need to step up and get vaccinated for the government to advance out of the current Phase 3 framework.

"We need to vaccinate an additional 3,747 individuals to get to that second dose rate for the province to consider moving out of Step 3. And so, we are getting close, but we’re not there yet," said Dr. Lianne Catton, the Porcupine Health Unit medical officer of health. "We have the vaccine. We have the vaccinators. We have the information. We have everyone we need to go, we just need individuals."

Catton said in her region, almost 77 per cent of individuals over 12 years old have at least one dose of the vaccine and just under 65 per cent are fully vaccinated now.

"We need to keep going," she said. "Increasing immunization rates to the highest levels possible will protect ourselves, our communities, our schools, our extracurricular activities, our sports, our businesses, and our livelihoods moving forward. As well as our health care and social services."

Although the current numbers are encouraging, the numbers just aren’t quite where the province wants them, Catton said.

That’s also being seen in the Sudbury area with officials saying at least 80 per cent of eligible individuals have received their first dose and about 67 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Because of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases involving the Delta variant, health officials want to see a vaccination rate of up around 90 per cent.

"Seventy per cent of our cases that are active are from the Delta variant," said Natalie Philippe, a public health nurse with Public Health Sudbury & Districts. "We know that with the Delta variant that we do require individuals to have two doses, so a complete series of COVID-19 vaccines to really reduce the hospital rates and ICU admissions."

Philippe said the health unit is trying to reach that 90 per cent goal as soon as possible.

"The more people we get immunized the better. But really we’re really looking at at least August, just before September and before Labour Day. Those are really the numbers that we’re looking at, the faster the better. But throughout the summer really making it a two-dose summer is our main goal," she said.

This is a trend that Catton also finds important -- trying to get as many people vaccinated before school is set to return in September.

"High vaccination rates in our youth 12-17 can really, really substantially impact and reduce the spread of COVID-19 and reduce outbreaks and help keep our schools open," Catton said.

Meantime, vaccination efforts continue across the region with pop-up clinics, mobile clinics, and mass vaccination sites.

On Tuesday, many people in Sudbury were receiving their second dose of the vaccine.

"I’m feeling pretty good actually. I’m happy to see that the community might be getting better and closer together and things might be reopening," one man told CTV News.

With another woman adding: "I feel fantastic! I’m glad!"

Overall, experts in the north agree that getting vaccinated is the best defense against COVID-19 and they are encouraging everyone to do their research and make an informed decision. 

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