Ottawa has passed a new milestone in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with nearly a quarter of the city’s one million residents having received at least an initial dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
The latest update from Ottawa Public Health shows local health workers have administered 302,901 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to date, representing about 88 per cent of the total inventory in the city.
So far 255,352 Ottawa residents have received at least one dose — 24 per cent of the entire population — with 26,625 people protected by two doses.
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This week saw the age cutoff for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in Ontario pharmacies lowered to 40.
Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa's medical officer of health, tweeted Friday that she has signed up to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, as have some local councillors and other elected officials.
I have signed up to receive #AstraZeneca vaccine at my nearby pharmacy.
All Health Canada-approved vaccines are safe & effective and each person who receives their COVID-19 vaccine brings us one step closer to #CommunityImmunity.
I look forward to doing my part! #VaccinesWork
— Dr. Vera Etches (@VeraEtches) April 23, 2021
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was set to receive his AstraZeneca jab at an Ottawa pharmacy on Friday afternoon.
As of Friday, 3,857 people aged 40 to 49 have gotten a dose of AstraZeneca in Ottawa. That compares to 18,599 people in the 50-to-59 category, 7,342 people in the 60-to-69 range and fewer than 1,000 residents older than that.
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In total, 51.2 per cent of people aged 60 to 69 have received a first dose of the vaccine in Ottawa as part of the second phase of Ontario’s vaccine rollout. More than 80 per cent of Ottawa residents older than that have gotten at least one jab as well.
Etches said earlier this week that the city will begin administering vaccines to those who can’t work from home as early as May.
