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Boosters Before Bedtime a hit in Caledon as capacity limits near lifting

February 24, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Rob Paul

On Tuesday, March 1, the Government of Ontario will officially lift capacity limits in all remaining indoor public settings and will no longer require proof of vaccination in specific settings.

Businesses may choose to continue to require proof of vaccination and masking requirements will remain in place at this time, with a specific timeline to lift this measure to be announced later.

With the Province fully reopening, the Region of Peel continues to push for higher vaccination coverage to ensure the safety of the public. As a result, it recently held two different special vaccine clinics over the weekend with “Boosters before Bedtime” in Caledon on Sunday and “Pyjama Party” on Family Day in both Brampton and Mississauga.

All three clinic locations were open with the goal of reaching those who may not be able to get vaccinated during regular working hours. Boosters before Bedtime was open from 1 p.m. to midnight and both Pyjama Party locations were open from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m.

The clinics offered first, second, and third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to everyone eligible with no appointment required to help encourage more people to get better protected.

“This vaccine coverage is so critical to actually make sure we can exit the pandemic by ensuring many more of us are protected against severe outcomes, meaning if we were to get exposed to Omicron, it’s less likely we’ll end up in hospital or in the ICU unit or worse,” said Dr. Lawrence Loh, Chief Medical Officer for Peel. “The vast majority of us coming together and getting vaccinated has really made the difference. I would urge everyone, especially with the reopening happening, to get to three doses. With reopening, we know there will be more contact and more possibility of spread but the reality is that if the vast majority of us are protected against severe outcomes, then what we can look forward to is a future where the risk of COVID-19 becomes something that’s far more manageable. It’s not a catastrophic risk anymore, it’s a risk that can be managed through vaccines and common-sense precautions.”

Vaccine coverage and third booster shots have continued to increase in Peel thanks to these clinics. Peel has now administered 3,250,648 doses of the vaccine—1,401,695 individuals have one dose, 1,266,974 have both doses, and 577,882 have received their third dose booster.

The Region now has 81.2 per cent of all residents with two dose coverage and 85.8 per cent with single dose. 91.3 per cent of those 12 and older are double vaccinated and 94.1 per cent have initiated the vaccination process—85.6 per cent of all eligible residents (5+) have both doses and 90.5 per cent have one.

In Peel, the new weekly COVID-19 case total has dropped below 1,000 for the first time in weeks with 903 new COVID-19 cases in the last week to bring the total to 173,426. The Region’s death count has now risen to 1,199 with 21 new deaths since last week.

Caledon has also seen a dip in new weekly cases with 49 new cases over the last week to bring the Town total to 7,523. There were no new deaths this week with the count staying at 27.

To book a vaccine in the Region of Peel, visit www.peelregion.ca/coronavirus/vaccine/book-appointment/. To schedule a third dose booster, visit covid19.ontariohealth.ca/. 

To download or print a copy of your proof of vaccination, visit covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-vaccine-booking-support#proof-of-vaccination.

To learn more about the official QR code system Ontario has implemented and to access yours, visit covid-19.ontario.ca/get-proof/. 

         

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