Infectious Diseases

COVID-19 Vaccinations

Please note, the methods used to calculate vaccination coverage rates have been updated. See the technical notes and definition page and the footnotes in the charts and tables for details.

Summary

COVID-19 vaccinations began in Simcoe Muskoka on various dates
- Pfizer-BioNTech: December 22, 2020
- Astrazeneca: Primary care teams began administering the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine on March 12th, 2021
- Moderna: March 15th 2021
- Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Janssen single dose COVID-19 vaccine and the Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine: January 4, 2022 and April 12, 2022 respectively
- Moderna bivalent (BA.1): September 12, 2022
- Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent (BA.4/BA.5): October 14, 2022

Bivalent vaccine booster doses are currently being offered to all eligible Long Term Care Home (LTCH) and Retirement Home residents in Simcoe Muskoka. As of March 22, 2023, over 80% of all eligible LTCH and retirement home residents have received a bivalent vaccine booster shot.
Getting vaccinated and staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines is the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and our communities from severe outcomes from COVID-19 and its variants. Staying up to date means you have completed your primary series and have received a COVID-19 vaccine within the last six months. Booster dose(s) are recommended based on the ongoing risk of infection due to waning immunity, the ongoing risk of severe illness from COVID-19, the societal disruption that results from transmission of infections, and the adverse impacts on health system capacity from the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here for the current provincial eligibility guidelines.
As of March 22, 2023, 109,555 (or 19.6%) of Simcoe Muskoka’s residents 12 years and older have completed their primary COVID-19 vaccine series and have received a booster dose within the previous six months. Another 195,317 (or 35%) have completed their primary series and received a booster dose more than six months ago. There are currently 168,391 (or 30.2%) Simcoe Muskoka residents 12 years and older that have only completed their primary series with no additional booster doses.
Approximately half (43.2%) of Simcoe Muskoka children between the ages of 5 and 11 are at least partially protected against COVID-19; however, this drops to 5.6% among infants and young children under five years old.
According to the most recent Public Health Ontario COVID-19 Vaccine Surveillance Update (with data up to February 26th): 22% of individuals five years of age and older who completed their primary series have received a booster dose (e.g. first booster dose, second booster dose) in the previous 6 months and 32% of individuals five years of age and older who completed their primary series received a booster dose over 6 months ago and are now eligible for an additional booster dose. To date, 4% of children under five years of age have completed their primary series.
The Government of Canada also publishes vaccine coverage at the national and provincial levels: https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/vaccination-coverage/.
For more information about the vaccine roll-out in Simcoe Muskoka, visit SMDHU’s Get Vaccinated page as well as the provincial website.

COVID-19 vaccination coverage estimates among individuals 12 years of age and older by age group

COVID-19 vaccination coverage estimates among children under 12 years of age

Vaccine Dose Administration

As of March 22, 2023, there have been 1,542,550 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in Simcoe Muskoka, including 628,056 doses administered by the health unit, 472,003 doses administered at local pharmacies, and 310,036 doses administered by local hospitals. Other local health care providers, including primary care, EMS and nurses at local long-term care and retirement homes have administered 94,485 doses. There have also been 32,096 doses administered at local Go-VAXX bus events.
There have been 56,957 doses of the Moderna bivalent vaccine and 77,651 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine administered in Simcoe Muskoka since September 12, 2022.

Number of COVID-19 vaccines administered in Simcoe Muskoka by lead agency and product type

Number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered by date and vaccine product

Hover over the line to see the values

Number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered by date and dose number

Hover over the line to see the values

Vaccine Coverage by Geography

There is a large variability in COVID-19 vaccination coverage rates across the Simcoe Muskoka municipalities, some due to differences in the population age structure (i.e., municipalities with older populations will have higher coverage rates).
Assignment of individuals to municipalities within Simcoe Muskoka is based on the postal code recorded at the time of vaccination. While most individuals are assigned to the municipality they live in, some are inadvertently assigned to an incorrect municipality. The chance of this misclassification is higher for those with postal codes that cover rural areas and those with outdated postal codes on their health card.

COVID-19 vaccination coverage estimates among individuals 12 years of age and older by municipality

COVID-19 vaccination coverage estimates among children under 12 years of age by municipality

COVID-19 vaccination booster dose in the past six months among individuals 12 years of age and older by municipality

Sociodemographic Distribution

COVID-19 vaccine coverage rates are similar among older seniors (70 years and older) when comparing females with males; however, a higher percentage of females have received a booster dose (both within the past six months and more than six months ago) when compared with males among younger age groups. The reasons for these differences are not currently certain.
Socioeconomic position, race and ethnicity are factors that can put people at increased risk for COVID-19 infection and severity. It also appears that these same groups are experiencing barriers regarding vaccination coverage. This may be due to disadvantage caused by systemic racism and discrimination, working or living conditions, and/or inequitable access to health care and social services.

COVID-19 vaccination coverage estimates among individuals 12 years of age and older by gender and age group

Technical Notes and Definitions

Please see Technical Notes and Definitions here.

Page Last Modified: March 23, 2023