Earlier this month, those living in Bradford under the L3Z postal code were deemed a COVID-19 'hot spot' by the provincial government, allowing those age 50+ to register for their first dose of vaccine.
To date, 23.6 percent of Bradford residents (10,342 people) have received their first dose of vaccine, with only two percent (903 people) having received both doses.
Last week, roughly 21 percent of the county had received at least one dose of the vaccine, but Bradford was sitting at around 14 percent.
"It's good news to know that over 10,000 local residents have received their first shot," said Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott, who along with Coun. Raj Sandhu brought forward the motion to lower the vaccine eligibility in last week's town council meeting. "Thanks to our staff, volunteers, medical professionals, and the health unit, we are also beginning to close the gap between Bradford West Gwillimbury's vaccination rate and the rest of the county."
The older demographic is leading the race with 75 percent of those 80+ having received at least one dose, and 19.5 percent with two doses.
Seventy-two percent of those aged 75-79 have received their first dose, with 4.1 percent having received both. And 70 percent of those 70-74 have received their first dose, with 2.5 percent having received their second.
Only 9.9 percent of those aged 30-39 have received one dose of the vaccine, with 1.4 percent of them havig received both doses.
And while other hot spot locations in areas such as Peel and Toronto have lowered their eligibility to age 18+, Bradford is currently only offering appointments to those 40+.
In last week's town council meeting, councillors passed a motion urging the province to drop the age of vaccine eligibility for Bradford residents to 18+, given its hot spot status and the average age of the population at 37.
"The age cohort numbers validate what council has said, we need to lower the eligibility to 18+," said Scott, pointing out that one in three Bradford residents are still under the age threshold to get their shot.
"We are making progress, and we are hopeful our hot zone will get a surge of vaccinations as more shipments arrive and the province considers targeting those doses to hot zones like us."
For more information on vaccine eligibility and clinics in Bradford, visit here.
