Just over half the population of Simcoe County and Muskoka — 50.2 per cent — has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 5.6 per cent of the population has been inoculated with both necessary doses, according to data from the local public health unit.
The regional milestone comes the same day that Ontario announced it was ahead of schedule in meeting its target of immunizing 65 per cent of adults with a first dose by the end of May.
Last week, the province announced its three-step reopening plan that it expects to begin the week of June 14.
To enter the first step of reopening, the plan requires 60 per cent of adults to be inoculated with one COVID-19 vaccine dose, while it requires 70 per cent of adults to be vaccinated with one dose and 20 per cent of adults to be immunized with two doses to enter Step 2.
In order to begin the third and final step of reopening, 70 to 80 per cent of adults must be vaccinated with one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 25 per cent must be immunized with both doses.
Currently, people age 12-plus are eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine in Simcoe County and Muskoka.
Some groups are also currently eligible to book their second dose appointment earlier than the 16-week interval, including Indigenous adults and their household members, high-priority health-care workers, long-term care and retirement home staff, essential caregivers, dialysis patients, transplant recipients and some cancer patients.
On Friday, Ontario also announced it’s preparing to speed up the eligibility for second dose COVID-19 vaccine appointments, with people age 80-plus eligible to book on May 31.
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