Restrictions have eased up in Ontario, but that doesn't mean vaccinations are a thing of the past too.
As Toronto continues to adjust public health measures in accordance with the province's recommendations, the city is also now leading among COVID-19 vaccine coverage across the globe.
Toronto's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen De Villa said in press release on Monday, March 21 that the 6ix is leading in vaccination coverage compared to major U.S. and international cities, including Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Berlin and Brussels.
Toronto Public Health found that Toronto had the highest second-dose coverage among these cities through publicly available data and that it fell just shy of tying New York for first doses.
Graph of COVID-19 vaccine coverage across major cities around the world. Toronto Public Health
As of March 17, the city said that around 88.9% of all Torontonians aged 12 and older had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 91.5% had gotten at least one dose.
TPH also said that more than 64.5% of people who are eligible for a third dose have received one. The city noted that while third dose coverage was analyzed and compared among cities, the available data is limited since booster eligibility is different worldwide.
Councillor Joe Cressy tweeted that the city's VaxTO call centre has been working to make getting vaccines to people easier.
"While this is strong protection, we have more work to do. Our VaxTO call center is phoning 50k residents eligible for a 3rd dose. We're answering questions, booking appointments, and making it easier," Cressy tweeted.
"Team Toronto has worked hard to make sure that our city has some of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world. This world-leading vaccination effort has ensured we can move forward with the reopening getting further underway this week," Mayor John Tory said in Monday's release.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.