COVID-19 vaccines in Ottawa: Second doses outpace first last week

OTTAWA -

Ottawa has surpassed a COVID-19 vaccination milestone, with 20 per cent of all adults in the city considered fully immunized.

This comes after more than 90,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered locally for the second week in a row. Last week also saw the administration of second doses outpace first doses.

According to data from Ottawa Public Health, 41,224 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in Ottawa last week, and 49,036 second doses were administered.

To date, 689,862 people 12 and older in Ottawa (65 per cent of the total population) have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 170,792 people (16 per cent of the population) have had two and are considered fully immunized.

• RELATED: How do I get the coronavirus vaccine in Ottawa

Ottawa received more than 118,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines last week, not counting doses shipped to pharmacies, and opened five additional community clinics Monday to accommodate accelerated second doses and remaining first doses through the Ontario booking system. As of Monday, all adults in Ontario who received either Pfizer or Moderna as their first dose before May 10 are eligible to book an earlier second shot.

Everyone else in Ontario who got a first shot on or after May 10 – except for people between 12 and 17 – will be eligible to book their second dose starting June 28.

Bookings for second doses for youth between the age of 12 and 17 are expected to be made available the week of Aug 9.

This week's Pfizer shipment is delayed, which means clinics will only be administering the Moderna vaccine this week. Health experts have said both vaccines are considered interchangeable for the purposes of second doses.

AstraZeneca doses start flowing again for second shots

Last week, the provincial government confirmed that 8,700 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine were shipped to local pharmacies in May and primary care clinics would be getting 1,700 doses. The AstraZeneca vaccine was given to roughly 67,000 adults in Ottawa and, to date, 4,249 people have had two doses of it. 1,372 second doses of AZ were administered in Ottawa las week.

Residents who received AstraZeneca as their first dose can also get a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as their second dose. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), said last Thursday it considers an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer or Moderna, as the preferable choice for second doses, citing emerging evidence “suggesting better immune responses" when an individual receives a first dose of AstraZeneca and a second dose of an mRNA vaccine.

Locally, the exact number of people who received one dose of AstraZeneca and one dose of another vaccine is unknown, but they are counted as having completed their vaccination for the purposes of calculating coverage with two doses.

QUICK STATS

• Ottawa residents with at least one dose: 689,864
• Ottawa residents with two doses: 170,792
• Percent of population 18 and older with at least one dose: 76 per cent
• Percent of population 18 and older with two doses: 20 per cent
• Percent of total population with at least one dose: 65 per cent
• Percent of total population with two doses: 16 per cent

VACCINATION COVERAGE BY AGE FOR OTTAWA RESIDENTS WITH AT LEAST ONE DOSE

• 12-17: 56 per cent (37,041 people)
• 18-29: 59 per cent (110,534 people)
• 30-39: 63 per cent (99,509 people)
• 40-49: 79 per cent (106,663 people)
• 50-59: 86 per cent (119,801 people)
• 60-69: 88 per cent (104,223 people)
• 70-79: 92 per cent (70,036 people)
• 80 and older: 93 per cent (39,537 people)
• Unknown age: 2,552 people

VACCINATION COVERAGE BY AGE FOR OTTAWA RESIDENTS WITH TWO DOSES

• 12-17: 1 per cent (709 people)
• 18-29: 8 per cent (14,227 people)
• 30-39: 9 per cent (14,745 people)
• 40-49: 14 per cent (18,370 people)
• 50-59: 20 per cent (27,349 people)
• 60-69: 28 per cent (33,582 people)
• 70-79: 46 per cent (34,832 people)
• 80 and older: 59 per cent (24,902 people)
• Unknown age: 2,076 people