People who have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine are entering into a fourth wave of the pandemic, Middlesex-London's medical officer of health has warned.
Dr. Chris Mackie said on Monday nearly all of the region's recent COVID-19 cases have been among unvaccinated people.
"The rate of COVID in people who are not vaccinated, which is a small subset of our population, is actually quite high," said Mackie. "Essentially we have a fourth wave of COVID right now that is moving through our unvaccinated population."
He added that for people who are vaccinated the immunization campaign has "essentially ended the pandemic."
Daily case counts in the city and county have remained in the single-digits for the past ten days with no additional deaths reported since June 26. However, figures released by the health unit last week showed 92 percent of those diagnosed with COVID-19 between June 18 and July 2 were unvaccinated. Eight per cent of cases reported were among people who had received one vaccination and there were no cases among those who had received two shots.
Mackie said the main spreader of the virus continues to be indoor gatherings where people are unmasked and in close contact with one another.
Roughly 20 per cent of area residents have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine.
"It is so important that we all do get the vaccine in order to prevent any negative outcomes," stressed Mackie. "That second dose is incredibly important for preventing the delta variant, but even just one dose of the COVID vaccine is very helpful in terms of preventing hospitalizations and deaths."
There are two groups that are falling behind in the vaccination race - adults aged 30-34 and healthcare workers. Only 64.2 percent of people in the 30-34 age group have got the shot, while only 66 per cent of employes at the London Health Sciences Centre have had at least one dose.
The reason those two groups may be lagging is attributed to busy schedules that juggle work, children and caring for aging parents. To remedy the situation, the health unit is holding more walk-in pop-up vaccination clinics between now and the middle of August. Two of those clinics will be held this week - one at Lord Elgin Public School on Victoria Drive on Tuesday, another at White Oaks Public School on Bradley Avenue on Wednesday. Both clinics will operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Middlesex London Paramedic Service will also hold a pop-up clinic for adults 18 and older on Tuesday at the North Middlesex District Community Centre in Parkhill.
Vaccine hesitancy is also being blamed on multiple myths and conspiracy theories that circulate online.
"About half of people cite something around safety of the vaccines, there are a number of falsehoods spreading about the vaccine," said Mackie. "The most common one recently has been around the vaccine impacting fertility, which isn't just a theoretical idea that doesn't make any sense, it is actually something that has been proven to be inaccurate... there is no negative impact to fertility related to vaccination."
While vaccine education campaigns by the health unit and the provincial and federal governments continue, Mayor Ed Holder believes those already vaccinated can also help spread the word.
"If you have your shot, please do whatever you can to convince those who might be somewhat hesitant, for whatever reason, to roll up their sleeves," said Holder.
Middlesex County Warden Cathy Burghardt-Jesson took a harder line with the unvaccinated after sharing a story about how she was able to get together with her sister for the first time in over a year on the weekend.
"It felt like a weight had been lifted. Why? Because we got the damn vaccine," said Burghardt-Jesson. "If you want things to get back to normal, if you want family reunions like I was so fortunate to have this weekend, if you want to travel , do your part and get the vaccine. Think of it as your civic duty."
