10,000 in Waterloo region eligible to get 2nd COVID-19 shot right now, official says

More than 90 per cent of eligible residents in Waterloo region have hadtheir first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

People who are 12 and up are eligible to get vaccinated,and able to get the second dose 28 days after the first, the Ontario government's website says.

"To get second doses to 90 per cent, 20,683 second doses must be given. Out of those 20,000 people, approximately 10,000 are eligible now for their second dose and the remaining people will become eligible over the next month,"Vickie Murray,the region's vaccine lead, said in a media briefing on Friday.

Murray said regional officials are pleased to see single doses reach the 90 per cent milestone, but they want to see second doses, which are at nearly 86 per cent, get there, too.

"Our goal is to continue to aim for the highest vaccination rates possible to protect our community from the spread of COVID," she said.

As well, the region has given5,854 third doses,offered to all people living in long-term care in the region.

Murray also announced Friday that as of Oct. 31, the vaccination at the Boardwalk in Waterloo will move to operating only between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. because those are the busiest times.

Vaccination bus motors on

The vaccination bus continues to be effective, Murray said. On Wednesday, she said 47 per cent of the doses given were first ones.

The bus will makedscheduled stops:

• Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Farmer's Market.
• Tuesday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 150 Main St. in Cambridge.
• Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Kitchener Public Library.
• Thursday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Region of WaterlooInternational Airport in Breslau.
• Sunday, Oct. 24 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Sunrise Shopping Centre at 1400 Ottawa St. S., Kitchener.

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's medical officer of health, said Friday that case rates have been "stable or slowly decreasing trend in the last few weeks."

"We need to continue our efforts to increase our community immunity over the coming weeks and months," she said, adding the highly transmissible delta variant remains a risk in the region and could be easily spread between people, especially the unvaccinated.

Murray encouraged anyone who is eligible to get the second dose to do so as soon as they can.

"That is going to be the best way to ensure that you're fully vaccinated," Murray said.

If regional stafffind that a lot of people are delaying the second dose, they will reach out to them directly through emails and phone calls something staffalso did over thesummer.