The Ontario government is embarking on a "last mile' effort to reach people who have yet to receive a first or second dose.
The latest initiative will continue to make vaccines readily and conveniently available, especially in lower-vaccinated areas, and include proactively contacting people who have not booked their second dose appointment.
Over 82 per cent of eligible Ontarians aged 12 and over have received one dose of the vaccine and 75 per cent have received both doses.
“Vaccines are the best protection against COVID-19 and the Delta variant,” said Christine Elliott, Minister of Health. “If you haven’t been vaccinated yet and have questions, I encourage you to reach out to your pharmacy, family doctor, or primary care provider.”
To support the province’s last mile strategy, the province and public health units are focusing on smaller, community-based, and easy-to-access settings for vaccinations. This includes mobile clinics and community-based pop-ups, dedicated clinic days for families with people with disabilities, and town hall meetings in multiple languages.
In addition, the province is working with public health units to target areas with low vaccination rates, as identified by postal codes, to support localized vaccination strategies as well as targeted marketing by the province in these areas.
A key component of Ontario’s last mile strategy is bringing the vaccines directly to people, where they are located.
Public health units are also partnering with elementary and secondary school boards, colleges and universities to make vaccines readily available for all students returning to school. This includes youth who were born in 2009 and will turn 12 this year.
“This is my call to arms,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “It is vital for everyone who can to receive both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. We are implementing many community-based initiatives so everyone can easily receive their vaccine, especially those who live in areas with lower vaccination rates. We will continue to monitor data to determine when it is safe to exit the Roadmap and get life back to normal.”
