Herd Immunity In Canada Could Require Over 80% Of The Entire Population To Be Fully Vaxxed
Vaccination coverage in eligible populations might not be enough anymore, Dr. Tam suggested.
According to the country's top doctor, herd immunity in Canada could require more than 80% of the entire population to be fully vaccinated and it's because of the Delta variant.
While providing an update on the COVID-19 situation in the country on October 1, Dr. Theresa Tam revealed that because the Delta variant is so transmissible, a "very high vaccination coverage" is needed to offset how contagious it is and move towards herd immunity.
The coverage could need to be over 80% of Canada's whole population, not just the population that's eligible to get doses right now, if the reproduction number — the number of people each infected person spreads the virus to — is around five or six.
"This is not a static estimate but can be different for different communities and populations across the world but certainly even within Canada," Tam said.
The top doc also wants the country to go as big as possible and get to 100% vaccination coverage if possible, even though it might seem like a stretch right now. "That's what you need to do with a very transmissible variant," she explained.
After provinces announced they would be implementing proof of vaccination requirements, vaccine appointment bookings skyrocketed in some of those provinces including B.C. and Ontario.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.