A survey has found that 28 per cent of adults in the Simcoe Muskoka region said they would probably not get the vaccine, or were unsure whether they would get the vaccine.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit partnered with the Institute for Survey Research at York University to conduct the online survey in November to learn about the financial, mental, physical and social impacts of the pandemic on the local population. A survey was conducted again from March to mid-April to assess changes in behaviours and attitudes, from which the results are being tabulated and will be released in the coming months.
More than 2,350 residents ages 18 years of age and older responded to the survey.
It also found that 71 per cent of respondents said that the pandemic is ‘very serious,’ with another 24 per cent calling it ‘somewhat serious.’
The findings reveal, unsurprisingly, that the pandemic has impacted people’s health, education, finances, and mental health.
Twenty-eight per cent of respondents rated their mental health at that time as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ while 37 per cent rated their mental health as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good.’ Adults aged 18-34 years were more likely to rate their mental health as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ (41 per cent) than seniors aged 65 and older (13 per cent).
With regard to vaccines, 68 per cent of adults said they would definitely or probably get the vaccine when available (at the time of the survey vaccines were not yet available). The likelihood of probably/definitely getting the vaccine increased with age starting at 58 per cent for 18-34 year olds and increasing to 78 per cent for seniors.
“I think this is a very important point because we do need to get high immunization rates if we are going to achieve herd immunity and break the chain of transmission and get control of the pandemic,” said medical officer of health Dr. Charles Gardner. “I think that this is an important point for the health unit to take to heart for the work we need to do to increase acceptability and reduce hesitancy about immunization.
Overall, between 81 and 85 per cent of respondents somewhat/strongly agreed that SMDHU is doing everything it can to protect the health of its residents, is providing up-to-date information about COVID-19, and is providing information on how to protect residents, and 88 per cent of respondents somewhat/strongly agree that SMDHU provides credible information.
As of Tuesday, the province has lowered the minimum age for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to 40 causing people to scramble to book appointments at participating pharmacies (also through primary care providers who will be reaching out to eligible patients.)
Gardner said it is not known how a delay of two upcoming shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the end of May will impact that rollout. In the meantime, the health unit continues to prioritize immunization in Bradford West Gwillimbury, which is the region’s only formally recognized hotspot, opening clinics there to adults aged 50-plus.
The health unit continues to pre-register people with high risk health conditions for vaccines including obesity (with a BMI >40), treatments causing immunosuppression (e.g., chemotherapy), intellectual or developmental disabilities, and one essential caregiver for each.
Those 60 years of age and older are eligible to directly book their COVID-19 vaccination at community clinics via Ontario.ca/bookvaccine as the provincial COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution Plan moves into Phase 2.
As of April 21, nearly 153,900 (or 25 per cent) of Simcoe Muskoka’s residents have received their first dose of vaccine, with more than 19,800 of these individuals also receiving their second dose.
In partnership with the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), regional health sector, municipal partnerships, and local primary care teams, approximately 154,000 vaccine doses have been administered, including over 8,750 AstraZeneca doses administered by primary care teams in Simcoe Muskoka. Local pharmacies have also administered over 15,650 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
More than three-quarters of Long Term Care (LTC) and Retirement Home (RH) staff and essential caregivers affiliated with homes in Simcoe Muskoka have received their first dose of vaccine and over 90 per cent of residents in those facilities have received their first dose of vaccine, with the majority having already received their second dose.