Vaccine rates continue to drop, targets receding in time

Jeff Green | Aug 11, 2021

The 85% vaccination target in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington is now 7 weeks away, after only 750 people received their first dose in the region during the week ending on Sunday, August 8.

Just two weeks earlier, over 1,500 were getting their first dose per week.

As of Monday afternoon (August 9) 82.3% of residents had received one dose of vaccine.

Provincial and international public health agencies have set a target of 85% to 90% vaccination rates in order to halt the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

If the rate of first dose vaccination continues to decrease at the same rate as the last three weeks (about 25% per week) the 85% target will not be reached until at least November, if at all.

The second dose rate, which is continuing to rise, with almost 2,800 vaccines over the last week, sits at 73.8% and at the current rate will hit 80% by the end of August.

In Quebec, the vaccination jumped when a provincial vaccine passport program was announced, but Ontario Premier Doug Ford ruled out the possibility of a vaccine passport back in July.

“The answer is no, we’re not going to do it,” he said during a press availability on July15, “we are not going to have a split society.”

Since then, various organisations, mainly in Toronto, have been calling for a provincial system in order to stimulate the economy. The Toronto Board of Trade, and Toronto Mayor John Tory have been vocal supporters of the idea.

The rate of COVID infections, which dropped off severely in June and early July, has since rebounded.

After dropping below 100 per day, the rate is now 350-500 per day, province-wide.

In KFLAPH, there are currently 10 active cases, a rate of 4.7/100,000 people per week. The rate had dropped to 0 in July, but has since increased. 4 new cases in South Frontenac and 1 in Central Frontenac are among the new cases in late July, early August. Fortunately, none of the current active cases require hospitalisation and the total number of COVID related deaths in the region remains at 6. 

North Frontenac and Addington Highlands townships, where there are no active cases currently, have both rescinded their state of emergency declarations. A state of emergency remains in place in Central and North Frontenac.