Toronto is now a world leader in vaccination rates. Here’s the plan for getting the city across the finish line
The past 17 months have been a marathon — one that’s required everything we’ve got. Torontonians across our city have faced isolation, loss and significant financial challenges. And through it all, people have come out in record numbers to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their families and our city.
This has been the largest immunization campaign in Canadian history, and we’re closing in on the last leg of the race. More than 80 per cent of eligible Torontonians have received their first shot; 70 per cent are fully vaccinated. This is incredible progress; Toronto is a world leader in vaccination rates. But there’s more work to do to reach everyone, everywhere. And, as any runner knows, the last mile can be the hardest.
The more vaccinated our population is, the safer we are — especially when it comes to new variants. The good news is that vaccines work; two doses of vaccine are over 90 per cent effective at reducing hospitalization from the Delta variant. But when people are unvaccinated, the virus has more opportunities to spread — putting our health and economy at risk.
There are still barriers for some Torontonians to vaccination, from mobility issues and language barriers, to transportation access and technology challenges. Some people don’t have the ID that’s required to book through the centralized online system, or don’t have a permanent address to enter in. Others are homebound and cannot get to a clinic. And many front-line and shift workers simply don’t have the time.
To tackle these barriers, we have to think outside of the box — and across sectors. Toronto Public Health worked with Toronto Paramedic Services and health care partners to roll out a program to vaccinate homebound seniors. The City of Toronto partnered with newcomer agencies to help people without OHIP cards register for appointments, and worked with transit companies and the TTC to provide free rides to clinics. Team Toronto partners continue to host on-site vaccination clinics in shelters and in seniors’ apartment buildings, bringing vaccines directly to people across our city.
One of the largest barriers to vaccination is access to information. People continue to have lots of questions, and they need answers from sources that they trust. Community agencies have been leading local vaccine outreach for months, and Toronto’s neighbourhood ambassador program has enlisted 280 community leaders who are on the ground, going door-to-door to support vaccination. Through digital and telephone town halls, thousands of people have been connected to clear and reliable information about vaccines.
As we move into this final push, primary care providers (nurse practitioners and family physicians) will play a critical role. Most people trust their primary health care provider deeply; they are valuable resources for information about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. We’ll continue to advocate for a growing role of primary care in the vaccination campaign.
A crucial lesson from the past few months is that different communities have different needs, and require unique approaches. Our Toronto Vaccine Day at Scotiabank Arena on June 27, for example,
set a world record of 26,771 vaccinations at a single clinic, and was tremendously successful at getting younger residents vaccinated. Among Torontonians aged 18 to 24, 94 per cent now have at least one dose — the highest vaccination rate of any age group in our city. Reaching other Torontonians who are not yet vaccinated — essential workers, seniors, newcomers — requires different, highly local tactics.
Ultimately, the success of any campaign is about meeting people where they already are: in their neighbourhoods and communities.
Team Toronto’s new
Home Stretch Vaccine Push approach is using neighbourhood-level data to identify areas with low vaccination rates, and to mount an on-the-ground outreach push by community leaders. Through phone calls to residents, flyers and online promotion, we’re directing people to pop-up clinics in apartment building common rooms, schools and parking lots. It’s the same model that worked in the 1950s, when public health workers went door-to-door to vaccinate people against polio: lower all possible barriers by bringing vaccines right to people’s front doors.
These tools and strategies will help us reach even more Torontonians. But we need to keep doubling down on our commitment to break every barrier and connect with everyone, everywhere in our city. That’s how we’ll finally cross this finish line, together.