TORONTO -- The City of Toronto has reached a new milestone in its effort to vaccinate youth.
As of May 29, the city is reporting that 52 per cent of youth ages 16 to 19 have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.
Of the 62,601 people age 16 to 19 who have now received their first dose of vaccine, the city says a majority received their dose in the last week.
Last week, Ontario youth ages 12 and up became eligible to book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. According to the city, this “newly-introduced youth cohort is quickly closing the vaccine coverage gap.”
In addition to the 16 to 19 age group, around 30 per cent of people ages 12 to 17 have also received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
“With more than 50 per cent of Torontonians age 16 to 19 having now received their first dose of vaccine, it’s clear that teenagers in our city are taking immunization seriously. I want to thank every young person who has stepped up and taken action to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their city,” City of Toronto councillor Joe Cressy said in a release on the announcement.
Cressy also announced a two-week youth “vaccination blitz” planned for June, which aims to increase the amount of youth who have received a COVID-19 vaccination.
“In partnership with SickKids, Toronto Public Health and our Team Toronto partners are actively rolling out our youth vaccine drive, with plans for a two-week youth vaccine blitz from June 14 to 28. There are more details to come and we still have more to do, but with over 50 per cent already, this is a great start,” Cressy said.
To date, only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved by Health Canada to be administered for youth 12 and older.
