The latest COVID-19 vaccine distribution data from the health unit shows some municipalities in the county have vaccination rates nearly 20 per cent higher than their neighbours.
Overall, vaccination coverage in the region is about even between Simcoe County and Muskoka District.
According to the health unit’s reporting, 82.5 per cent of Simcoe County residents and 81.4 per cent of Muskoka District residents aged 12 or older have been fully vaccinated.
The breakdown of vaccination rates by municipality shows a range of coverage rates from 72 per cent to 89 per cent of eligible residents being fully vaccinated.
The highest vaccination rates in Simcoe County are among residents of Springwater and Penetanguishene, where about 89.4 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated.
Collingwood and Orillia are tied for second on the list with 87.7 per cent of eligible residents fully vaccinated. The municipalities with the lowest rates include Essa (71.9 per cent), Adajala-Tosorontio (73.5 per cent), and New Tecumseth (77.5 per cent).
Here’s a list of Simcoe County municipalities listed from highest to lowest vaccination rates as of Nov. 1, 2021:
- Springwater and Penetanguishene (89.4 per cent of eligible residents fully vaccinated)
- Collingwood and Orillia (87.7 per cent)
- Midland (85.7 per cent)
- Tay (85.4 per cent)
- Ramara (84.8 per cent)
- Wasaga Beach (84.2 per cent)
- Severn (83.8 per cent)
- Barrie (83 per cent)
- Bradford West Gwillimbury (82.7 per cent)
- Oro-Medonte (82.3 per cent)
- Clearview Township (81.9 per cent)
- Innisfil (81.2 per cent)
- Tiny (80.2 per cent)
- New Tecumseth (77.5 per cent)
- Adjala-Tosorontio (73.5 per cent)
- Essa (71.9 per cent)
Previously, the health unit was reporting local rates over 90 per cent, but as of Oct. 29, a change to the way vaccination rates are assigned per municipality caused those rates to drop.
Until now, the health unit would allocate a vaccinated person to a municipality based on their postal code. However, in the Simcoe-Muskoka region, some postal codes span more than one municipality.
“The postal code was randomly assigned to one of the possible municipalities, resulting in certain municipalities having either higher or lower estimated vaccination coverage rates than they should,” stated the health unit in an email.
In an effort to be more accurate with the vaccination rate allocations, the health unit is using a formula based on population size and the proportion of the population living in each postal code’s catchment area.
“For example, if one postal code is associated with two municipalities but 90 per cent of the population live in municipality ‘A’ and 10 per cent live in municipality ‘B’ - there is a 90 per cent chance the individual will be assigned to municipality A,” explained the health unit in the email statement. “This new allocation process will have little to no impact on urban areas but will greatly improve the accuracy for rural areas.”
Based on health unit data for age groups, the lowest vaccination coverage among eligible people in the region is among 18- to 29-year-olds. About 70 per cent of the Simcoe County population in that age category is fully vaccinated.
Simcoe County’s vaccination coverage by age group is as follows:
- 12-17-year-olds: 81 per cent
- 18-29-year-olds: 70 per cent
- 30-39-year-olds: 78 per cent
- 40-49-year-olds: 80 per cent
- 50-59-year-olds: 83 per cent
- 60 and above: 93 to 96 per cent.
As of Oct. 29, more than 82 per cent of the Simcoe-Muskoka population over 12 years old has been fully vaccinated, which is about 439,517. More than 7,000 people in the region have had a third dose of a COVID vaccine.
