Windsor's top doctor raises target vaccination coverage for herd immunity to 90 per cent
Windsor-Essex medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed has increased the target coverage percentage for herd immunity against COVID-19.
Dr. Wajid Ahmed says he would like to see 90 per cent vaccination coverage in the region.
“We need that 90 per cent to do fully, fully feel that we are safe and protected and we are not there yet,” says Ahmed. “We won’t be there in the near future, but we definitely don’t wanna see a fourth wave, we definitely don’t want to see a lockdown.”
Ahmed said they have set up a minimum target of 80 per cent but would like to see it go up to 90 per cent.
In March, Ahmed said he wanted to reach a 60 per cent vaccination rate to achieve herd immunity, but the Delta variant makes it even more important to get a higher percentage of the population vaccinated.
“The science table has put out modeling and with the highly transmissible Delta strain,” says Ahmed. “They would like to see a vaccination coverage of 90 per cent so we can see that that’s the target for the herd immunity.
WINDSOR-ESSEX RESIDENTS VACCINATED:
- 284,595 WEC residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine
- 44,503 WEC residents have received only 1 dose of a vaccine
- 240,092 WEC residents have received both doses of a vaccine
- A total of 524,687 doses have been administered to WEC residents
- 76.8% of WEC adults have received at least 1 dose
- 80.6% of adults in Ontario have received at least 1 dose
- 65.7% of WEC adults are fully vaccinated
- 66.3% of adults in Ontario are fully vaccinated
Windsor Regional Hospital’s chief of staff Dr. Wassim Saad says vaccines are helping drive down the COVID cases. There were only three people in hospital with the virus as of Friday.
“For the most part most places are in good shape and it’s directly tied to the vaccination program,” says Saad.
Infectious Diseases expert Dr. Gerald Evans says there isn’t a specific magic vaccination number to stamp out COVID.
“Herd immunity is not a threshold, it isn’t like you hit 90 and now everything is great and below 90 everything is terrible. It is a gradient,” says Evans.
Even though vaccines can speed up herd immunity, Evans says endemic status is likely a few years away.
“By 2023, which is a couple of years from now, we’ll have most of the globe immunized and at that point I think we’ll have seen the evolution of this virus to an endemic one,” says Evans.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.