75 per cent of Ottawa adults have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose
Three-quarters of Ottawa adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but the city's top doctor says vaccine coverage is not enough to stop the spread of the virus.
Mayor Jim Watson tweeted Thursday morning that 75 per cent of Ottawa adults 18 and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. As of Wednesday, 63 per cent of Ottawa residents 12 and over had received at least one dose.
Ottawa hitting the 75 per cent vaccination mark comes less than a week after Ottawa entered Step One of the COVID-19 reopening plan, allowing patios and non-essential businesses to open.
In an interview on CTV News at Six with Graham Richardson Wednesday evening, medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches acknowledged the COVID-19 signal is rising in the wastewater, which would be expected as things open up.
"What we're more concerned about is if that translates into a sustained rise, rapid uptick that's been associated with hospitalizations," said Dr. Etches.
"What's protecting us against that is largely the vaccines, but it's not enough. So the vaccination rate for our whole population is about 63 per cent, that is good. That means all those vaccinated people are less likely to get severely illness, less likely to be hospitalized even when COVID is spreading."
As Ontario accelerates the timeline for residents to receive their second dose, Dr. Etches said it's important for everyone to get fully vaccinated. The city of Ottawa has said 200,000 appointments were booked at COVID-19 vaccination sites between June 1 and July 6.
"We need the two doses really to be able to maximally protect the population. We also need this coverage to be even, we don't want pockets of the community that aren't protected as much and so that's where COVID flares up," said Etches.
In a separate interview on Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron, Etches said while the vaccines are protecting people from getting serious illness and transmitting the virus to other people, it's "probably not enough yet" to let our guard down.
"I just want to encourage people that caution is still needed, we still need folks to think about, can you keep the number of close contacts you have limited," said Etches.
"So it's growing, when you think back over the last week – can you think about how many close contacts and try to keep that lower as we still need a bit more."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.