Canada's 4 largest provinces see vaccine uptake boosted by mandates
CBC
Federal data shows tens of thousands of people in Canada's largest provinces received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine after public announcements of a vaccine passport, even before the new policy came into effect.
Vaccine passports require residents to show proof of vaccination before accessing some businesses deemed at a higher risk for transmission of the virus.
In Ontario, the policy came into effect on Sept. 22 with a proof of vaccination required to go to restaurants, bars, sports venues, gyms, theatres, cinemas and casinos.
The province's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, said he hoped the program would result in a meaningful increase in vaccination uptake to rival the province of Quebec, which now boasts almost 90 per cent of eligible people over the age of 12 with at least one dose.
Ontario currently has about 85 per cent of eligible residents with at least one dose.
"I think we can get three more per cent from this policy initiative to better protect those high-risk environments. And there's no reason why we can't achieve Quebec's rates of protection," said Moore.
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