45 per cent of Ottawa adults receive booster shot as COVID-19 third dose rollout continues

Health-care worker Thi Nguyen administers Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at a COVID-19 clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The city of Ottawa has one of the highest rates for booster doses administered in Ontario, as the rush continues to get third doses into arms as the Omicron variant spreads.

As of Friday, 378,574 residents aged 18 and older in Ottawa had received a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, representing 45.4 per cent of eligible residents receiving the booster dose.

Ottawa medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches received her third dose on Friday.

A big thank you to all the staff at the St. Patrick’s Intermediate School vaccination clinic for a smooth booster dose appointment. Merci beaucoup! ♥️

I encourage everyone to get their booster dose as soon as they are eligible: https://t.co/nJ56LjU8B8 pic.twitter.com/uN7Zjjg84m

— Dr. Vera Etches (@VeraEtches) January 7, 2022

According to data from Public Health Ontario, Ottawa has the third-highest rate for third doses administered in Ontario.

The Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health unit reports 56 per cent of residents 18 and older have received a third dose. A total of 46.5 per cent of eligible adults in Timiskaming Health Unit region have received a third dose.

The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Health Unit reports 44.6 per cent of adults aged 18 and older have received three doses, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit says 34 per cent of eligible adults have received a third dose, while 33.7 per cent of eligible adults in Renfrew County have received the booster dose.

As of Dec. 20, all Ontario residents aged 18 and older are eligible to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 84 days after receiving a second dose.

Ottawa Public Health is prioritizing certain groups to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.  The priority groups are:

• Individuals aged 60 and older
• Educational and childcare workers
• Employees, volunteers and caregivers of residents of long-term care and retirement homes
• Pregnant individuals

Residents in priority groups can use a new online COVID-19 vaccine drop-in pre-registration tool to access a drop-in appointment at a nearby clinic in Ottawa.

CHILDREN AGED FIVE TO 11

The Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health has the highest rate of first doses for children aged 5 to 11 in Ontario, with 64 per cent receiving one dose.

Ottawa is second in Ontario, with 63 per cent of children aged 5 to 11 receiving the first dose.

You can book an appointment through the Ontario government's COVID-19 vaccination portal, by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900 and through select pharmacies and primary care settings. 

OTTAWA COVID-19 VACCINE QUICK STATS

• Ottawa residents with at least one dose (5+): 896,747
• Ottawa residents with two doses (5+): 826,007
• Ottawa residents with three doses (18+): 378,574
• Percent of population 5 and older with at least one dose: 90 per cent
• Percent of population 5 and older with two doses: 83 per cent

(Ottawa Public Health data as of Jan. 7)

Number of Ottawa residents with three doses

• 5-11: 0
• 12-17: 680
• 18-29: 43,641
• 30-39: 45,237
• 40-49: 50,980
• 50-59: 72,279
• 60-69: 75,023
• 70-79: 57,797
• 80 and older: 33,617

(According to Ottawa Public Health Data, 50 per cent of Ottawa adults aged 18 and older who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have received a third dose)