Big changes coming to vaccine dashboard in region

Don't be shocked to see a drop in Waterloo Region's COVID-19 vaccination rate come Friday.

The region is updating its dashboard with a pair of changes that will change the data sets quite a bit.

The first change is the population count. The region has been using a total population count of 588,878 in Waterloo Region for both their case rates and vaccination rates.

Starting with Friday's vaccine dashboard refresh, they will use a population count of 605,232, which is based on 2020 estimates from Statistics Canada.

“(It) includes non-permanent residents living in Waterloo Region, and reflects our rapidly growing community,” said Vickie Murray of the vaccine task force.

She added officials recognize there is no perfect measure of population, and that estimates are “dynamic and constantly changing.”

She went on to say the denominator originally used was adjusted for lower post-secondary school attendance because of COVID-19.

With this addition, she said there will be a noticeable decrease in the vaccination rate for the 18 to 29-year-old age group.

On the topic of age groups, that is where the other change will come in. Beginning Friday afternoon, the age group category will shift to cohorts based on year of birth.

“This method is more robust and accurate for assessing vaccine coverage by age group over time, and it is consistent with how we assess vaccine coverage among school-aged children,” Murray said. “A person's year of birth does not change, but their age does.”

“This keeps our age groups together as a cohort.”

She said as a result of these changes, most values for percentage vaccinated will decrease. Of note, she said there will also be a decrease in the rate for 12 to 17-year-old children, and a rise in the rate for older age groups.

“We do feel this more accurately reflects our vaccination progress over time,” Murray added.

She said they will continue to monitor the dashboard, to ensure it's updated as data and information evolve.