A public health nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine. (File photo supplied by Southwestern Public Health)A public health nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine. (File photo supplied by Southwestern Public Health)
Chatham

More youth encouraged to get vaccinated in CK

The push is still on to get teens in Chatham-Kent vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Public Health Agency of Canada's latest report on COVID-19 vaccinations says about 60 per cent of youth aged 12 to 17 across Canada have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but Chatham-Kent's Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby said as of Monday, only 44 per cent of Chatham-Kent residents aged 12-17 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday.

Colby said he is hoping that number increases over the next few months and would like to see as many youths as possible in Chatham-Kent be fully vaccinated before school starts back up in September.

"We need to get that number doubled in short order," he said. "I would encourage everyone to get those kids in and get vaccinated. "

Colby said the local public health unit is working to address the issue and has been coming up with different ways to reach younger people in Chatham-Kent.

"We use youth-oriented messages to try and reach them, social media and the kind of things that youth do," Colby explained. "Hopefully, they'll get the message and come in. We don't need any large segments of the population left vulnerable. We haven't seen any of the Delta variants in Chatham-Kent yet, but it's far more transmissible than what we've been dealing with."

Other than the concern around youth vaccination rates, Colby said COVID-19 numbers in Chatham-Kent remain great.

According to Colby, a "whopping" 92 per cent of adults over the age of 60 have received at least one dose.

"That's our most vulnerable population and that's doing great," he said.

Colby added that altogether, 71 per cent of residents aged 12 and up have received at least one dose while 31 per cent are fully vaccinated.

For residents who had not received any doses, a walk-in clinic was held on Monday in Chatham.

According to Colby, a few hundred people attended. However, he said there was a big rush at the clinic in the morning, that quickly trickled off.

"I think it's probably more efficient here in Chatham-Kent to have people just book appointments," he said. "We got about two-thirds of the people that we were expecting."

Colby added that mobile outreach teams continue to work to reach Chatham-Kent residents that might otherwise have limited access to getting a vaccine on their own.

On Tuesday, Chatham-Kent Public Health reported just one new case, bringing the municipality up to four active cases of the virus.

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