Vaccine mandates, passports are working in Windsor-Essex: health officials
Over the past month, vaccine certificates and mandates have been implemented in a number of workplaces and society at large, with the goal of increasing vaccination rates.
And despite a much slower uptake of vaccines compared to the summer, officials say the policies are working.
David Musyj of Windsor Regional Hospital says the proof is in plateauing daily case rates since many of the mandates took effect, along with a steady stream of first doses.
“Those two factors alone, show the mandates work locally, the passports work,” says Musyj, who says the hospital’s mandate resulted in nearly 99 per cent hospital-wide compliance.
He refers to this as a way the hospital is leading by example and hopes society will follow suit in a bigger way.
“What we do know is doing nothing’s not an option,” Musyj says. “More and more, employers are following the lead, and saying, ‘you want to work here, you’ve got to be vaccinated.’”
On Sept. 16, 2021, an estimated 70,000 Windsor-Essex residents still hadn’t received a first dose of the vaccine.
Today, 10,000 of those previously unvaccinated have now received a shot.
“We are making progress, it is slow, we have seen improvements in our younger age-groups,” says Ramsey D’Souza, the manager of epidemiology and evaluation at the Windsor Essex County Health Unit.
The region — along with Chatham-Kent still lags behind the rest of the province in vaccination rates and boast higher per cent positivity.
“We almost need to swap, or be in a position where our cases are in the lower end and our vaccination rates are in the higher end,” says D’Souza.
The seven-day average for vaccinations in Windsor-Essex is 935 doses a day, according to WECHU, a number that’s down a couple-hundred from the week before.
That’s not a fast enough uptake, according to the region’s acting medical officer of health.
“Looking at the burden of disease in Windsor Essex compared to other health districts, Windsor-Essex still has a higher burden of COVID in the community,” says Dr. Shanker Nesathurai.
Guided by a public-health mantra that’s vaccinations and other public health measures are the best way out of the pandemic.
“We see every dose or a second dose as a real success,” says Nicole Dupuis, the CEO of WECHU.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.