Chatham-Kent’s Public Health Officer worries about another COVID wave for the municipality
Chatham-Kent’s medical officer of health said the COVID-19 case count in the region is going in the wrong direction.
“Our numbers are inching up,” said Dr. David Colby, who noted most hospital cases involve unvaccinated people.
So far, 76 per cent of the population 12 years and up in Chatham-Kent have received a single dose and 68 per cent have been doubled dosed.
“It’s a curve of decreasing return,” Colby pointed out it, as it gets harder and harder to motivate those unvaccinated people to roll up their sleeves.
He added there will be two to three per cent of the population who will oppose vaccination.
Efforts have stepped up to motivate people who remain on the fence, a challenge Colby characterized as difficult.
However, Colby said Chatham-Kent Health Unit is using an outreach program to make vaccination convenient, while dispelling rumors vaccines pose a health risk.
“Facts are the vaccinations are safe and effective and if there was some trouble we would see it now,” said Colby.
Case counts also remain a concern for municipal leaders who worry another wave could trigger a lock down.
“We have had three waves already and we’ve seen what the province has had to do to keep people safe,” warned Don Shropshire Chatham-Kent’s Chief Administrative Officer.
At this point, the municipality has not discussed a vaccine passport or certificate to use public facilities like inside ice rinks as Shropshire thought that policy would have to come from the province.
Chatham-Kent’s Mayor thought the unvaccinated population rate of 30 per cent was too high.
Darrin Canniff said, “the solution is there, we just have to grab a hold of it.”
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