Ontario’s COVID-19 passport plan boosts vaccination rate, but lockdown risk still looms

Thestar.com
Sept. 3, 2021
Rob Ferguson

Bookings for COVID-19 shots doubled on the day Premier Doug Ford unveiled a plan for vaccine certificates, but jabs remain below the levels needed to avert a potential lockdown this fall, science table experts say.

Appointments made on the provincial booking system increased to more than 7,100 Wednesday from almost 3,500 the day before as Ford detailed his plan. That was on top of 35,000 shots that went into arms Wednesday -- a pace that must accelerate, said members of the science table advising Ford.

“It’s got to be a higher rate than we’re going now,” said Dr. Arthur Slutsky, acknowledging it will be harder to reach the remaining 2 million adults who have not had any shots.

“The effort to get every single vaccination now is much more than it was two months ago,” he added, a reference to earlier this summer when more than 200,000 shots were given daily.

Science table director Dr. Peter Juni suggested 40,000 to 50,000 jabs a day would be “a good first target.”

A prime group to reach is the 750,000 Ontario residents over age 50 who have not been fully vaccinated and are most at risk from the highly contagious Delta variant, he said.

“They are playing Russian roulette.”

Ford is counting on the certificate system -- this takes effect Sept. 22 -- to spur vaccination levels because it will bar Ontarians who aren’t at least 14 days past their second shot from a host of activities, such as indoor restaurant dining, gyms, movies and pro sports.

Health Minister Christine Elliott’s office said daily vaccinations as of 1 p.m. Thursday totalled almost 12,400, up about one quarter from the same time Wednesday.

“We’re already seeing thousands more Ontarians roll up their sleeves, nearly half of whom are receiving their first dose.”

The science table warned in a brief released Wednesday that vaccination levels need to rise “substantially above” 85 per cent and person-to-person contacts must be limited to avoid a fall lockdown and overcrowding of hospital intensive care units.

Just over 76 per cent of eligible Ontarians over age 12 are fully vaccinated. But in recent weeks the number of people getting vaccinated has stalled.

Even if 85 per cent is achieved, Dr. Beate Sander, of the science table, said Ontarians need to reduce their person-to-person contacts to June levels to slow the spread of COVID-19.

That will be difficult with the Labour Day long weekend, a return to in-class learning in schools next week and more people returning to their offices, she added.

Ontario reported 865 new infections Thursday, the highest in almost three months, lifting the seven-day average of cases to 728 -- almost seven times higher than this time last year when there were no vaccines available. There were 320 Ontarians in hospital for the virus, triple the level of early August, including 162 in intensive care.

Critics urged Ford to put more teeth in his vaccine certificate plan and take bold steps to boost vaccination levels now that most mass clinics have been closed because demand tailed off.

“So much more could have been done and needs to be done,” New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath said in Windsor Thursday.

Opposition parties said there are too many loopholes in the vaccine certificate plan, which requires customers to be fully vaccinated at impacted businesses -- but not staff. It doesn’t take effect for three weeks despite proof-of-vaccination certificates that can already be downloaded from a provincial government website.

Concern is also being raised over the province’s vaccine mandate for health-care and education workers, which requires them to be fully vaccinated or submit to regular testing. That means a nursing home employee looking after vulnerable residents or teachers can go to work without being fully vaccinated, but won’t be able to work out in a gym or attend a Blue Jays game.

“It’s confusing and it sends mixed messages,” said Green Leader Mike Schreiner. The Guelph MP demanded in a letter to Ford that the certificate program be fast-tracked and applied to more sectors -- such as barber shops, hair and nail salons -- and shots be made mandatory for health and education workers.

A number of hospitals have moved to mandatory shots, including the University Health Network.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said the government needs to show “more urgency” in its fight against COVID-19.

Elliott’s office said sectors of the economy not subject to the vaccine certificate system -- such as barber shops and hair salons -- are welcome to implement requirements that patrons be fully vaccinated and can use the provincial technology.

Unlike some provinces, Ontario is keeping mask mandates for indoor public spaces and holding capacity limits of 50 per cent in gyms, for example.

Horwath said any business announcing vaccine requirements without being covered by the provincial system is creating a “target” for anti-vaccine protesters who have already been protesting outside some restaurants.