Overall pace of COVID-19 vaccination in Ottawa slows but rate of new first doses picking up

OTTAWA -

The overall pace of COVID-19 vaccinations in Ottawa has slowed to its lowest level since March, but there is data to suggest that the rate of people seeking shots for the first time is on the rise.

According to Ottawa Public Health, 16,366 doses of vaccine were administered last week, including 6,145 first doses and 10,221 second doses.

This is down from 23,402 doses administered the week of Aug. 15 to 21.

However, the rate at which residents are seeking the vaccine for the first time has been steadily rising in the past two months.

During the week of July 4, a record 132,594 doses were administered, 12 per cent of which were first doses. While the overall number of new shots has fallen in the past several weeks, the percentage of first doses among all doses administered has been rising. Data show 18.6 per cent of shots administered the week of Aug. 1 were first doses. That rose to 20.3 per cent the week of Aug. 8, and 27.5 per cent the week of Aug. 15.

More than a third, 37.5 per cent of all shots administered last week, were first doses.

To date, 789,147 residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 728,284 people are fully vaccinated.

So far, 86 per cent of the eligible population has one dose and 79 per cent is fully vaccinated. Ottawa has reached 75 per cent coverage with one shot among the entire population, including those ineligible to be vaccinated. Sixty-nine per cent of the total population of Ottawa is fully vaccinated.

The 18 to 39 demographic remains below 80 per cent coverage for first doses and below 70 per cent for full vaccination. All other age groups are at 87 per cent or higher for first shots and at least 73 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Data suggest that the risk of infection among the unvaccinated population is 22 times higher than it is for the fully vaccinated population. OPH data show that between July 18 and Aug. 21 the rate of infection among people who were not vaccinated was 51.9 per 100,000 population, while the rate of infection for fully vaccinated individuals was 2.4 per 100,000. 

COVID-19 VACCINE QUICK STATS

• Ottawa residents with at least one dose: 789,147
• Ottawa residents with two doses: 728,284
• Percent of population with at least one dose: 75 per cent
• Percent of population with two doses: 69 per cent

 

COVID-19 vaccine coverage in Ottawa
Infogram

Vaccination coverage by age* for Ottawa residents with at least one dose

• 12-17: 87 per cent (57,463 people)
• 18-29: 74 per cent (138,386 people)
• 30-39: 75 per cent (119,456 people)
• 40-49: 87 per cent (116,916 people)
• 50-59: 90 per cent (126,176 people)
• 60-69: 93 per cent (110,455 people)
• 70-79: 98 per cent (73,938 people)
• 80 and older: 104 per cent** (44,029 people)
• Unknown age: 2,330 people

Vaccination coverage by age* for Ottawa residents who are fully vaccinated

• 12-17: 73 per cent (48,243 people)
• 18-29: 64 per cent (119,934 people)
• 30-39: 68 per cent (107,601 people)
• 40-49: 81 per cent (108,897 people)
• 50-59: 86 per cent (119,823 people)
• 60-69: 90 per cent (106,766 people)
• 70-79: 95 per cent (72,147 people)
• 80 and older: 101 per cent** (42,645 people)
• Unknown age: 2,228 people

*OPH now assigns people to age categories based on year of birth, rather than date of birth. An 11-year-old born in 2009 is now included in the age 12-17 calculations, while a 17-year-old born in 2003 is included in the 18-29 category, etc.

**A 2020 population estimates suggest there are 42,388 people in Ottawa 80 and older. The current number of vaccinated people in that age category is slightly higher than that figure.