Older adults in need of boosters a priority for public health: Etches

Ottawa's medical officer of health says ensuring older adults at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 get their booster shots remains a priority for Ottawa Public Health.

Dr. Vera Etches told CTV News Ottawa in an interview Sunday that the sheer amount of COVID-19 in the community puts more vulnerable populations at risk.

"I am concerned that with the amount of COVID in our community right now. It will reach more vulnerable populations," she said. "The older adults who aren’t immunized is really a top concern of mine and I would ask people to recognize that they are at greater risk than vaccinated people for severe illness."

As of Friday, 56 per cent of residents in their 60s had their boosters, while 71 per cent of people in their 70s and 75 per cent of people 80 and older had theirs.

Older adults make up the largest proportion of the most severe outcomes for COVID-19, with a majority of hospitalizations and deaths occurring in people over the age of 60. Of the 21 people currently hospitalized with active COVID-19, 14 are 70 or older.