Toronto lagging behind province when it comes to vaccinating those 80-plus
Posted March 30, 2021 12:36 pm.
Toronto is lagging behind the province when it comes to vaccinating those aged 80 or older against COVID-19.
Toronto Public Health (TPH) says that as of Monday morning, 55.6 percent of the city’s residents in that age group had received at least one shot, with nine percent fully vaccinated.
By comparison, the provincial government said Monday that 77 percent of Ontarians 80 and older had gotten their first dose.
RELATED: Halton Region expanding vaccine eligibility to anyone 65+
The proportion of residents aged 75 to 79 to have obtained at least one shot was the same for both, however, at 40 percent.
Over the weekend, Toronto Mayor John Tory urged residents 70 and older to get vaccinated, saying the city has the doses and the appointments available to do so.
To date, 493,867 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Toronto.
Meanwhile, the province said Monday it is looking at ways to address vaccine hesitancy among older residents.
The city expanded COVID-19 vaccine availability to those aged 70 and older (born in 1951 and earlier) as of Saturday.
The province also expanded its COVID-19 vaccine booking this week to include anyone 70 and older in additional regions, including some GTA municipalities.
