Waterloo Region notes high number of locals ‘fully-vaccinated’ against COVID-19 but booster uptake remains low

Nearly nine-in-ten vaccine-eligible locals have had at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine while 85% is fully vaccinated.

Those are numbers the Region of Waterloo continues to boast about and are on-par with the high level of vaccine uptake provincially. When it comes to a third dose however, uptake plummets.

Just over half (54%) of locals aged 12 and older have had a booster shot and that is something local public health officials do continue to hope to change.

“We still need to be cautious as COVID-19 continues to circulate at relatively high levels,” said Dr. Rabia Bana, Waterloo Region's associate medical officer of health during an update Tuesday to regional council. “Vaccination, including a booster dose, is our best defence against the virus and its variants.”

Waterloo Region Public Health says key pandemic indicators in the region like per cent positivity, new hospitalizations, and ICU numbers continue to trend downward though local wastewater signals suggest dropping levels of COVID-19 in the community may be starting to slow or even plateau.

“COVID-19 continues to circulate at relatively high levels and we won't know the impact of the March 1 changes to public health measures until about mid-March,” Bana said.

The province lifted remaining pandemic capacity limits and removed its COVID-19 vaccination requirements as of March 1. There's also since been a lot of speculation, including from the premier, the chief medical officer of health, and the local medical officer of health that the mask mandate may soon follow by month's end.

That speculation was also reflected in Tuesday's regional update.

“Masking indoors will continue to provide an added layer of protection in the coming weeks,” Bana said, suggesting that added layer may not last — at least in the form of a provincial mandate — beyond the 'coming weeks'.