Efforts to get more people vaccinated on the island of Montreal appear to be paying off, with 73 per cent of the entire population having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose — matching the Quebec-wide average.
But there are discrepancies. The borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro has a first-dose average of 67.9 per cent, the lowest on the island.
Officials admit reaching some of these people remains a challenge.
“That’s what we’re working on right now. And see exactly what we can do and target these areas in order to get the vaccination rate to go up,” said Dashka Coupet, the CIUSSS l’Ouest-de-l’île-de-Montréal vaccination coordinator.
The critical 18-to-29 year old age group has finally broken the 70-per cent threshold of receiving a first shot but it remains the lowest of all eligible age groups.
George Jazmati, a Pierrefonds resident, tells Global News he was surprised, saying he would have expected more young adults to be vaccinated.
“We’re probably the people who want life to go back to normal the most,” he said.
Health-care workers at the drive thru clinic at Trudeau airport are administering more than 800 shots a day and say they have the capacity to provide more shots.
“It’s efficient. it’s fast. So they don’t have to wait. And they don’t feel like they’re in a hospital as usual,” Andreanne Savard-Wilhelmy, a vaccination administrator, told Global News.
Officials say it’s critical people get the second doses as soon as possible to protect against the rise of the more transmissible Delta variant.