80 per cent of residents in Mississauga and Brampton are vaccinated

The latest COVID-19 numbers in Mississauga and Brampton suggest the impact of the pandemic’s fourth wave has been blunted, says Mayor Bonnie Crombie. 

Speaking at the City of Mississauga’s weekly COVID-19 update press conference late this afternoon, Crombie told the media that, “If you’d told me two months ago” what the numbers today would be, “I wouldn’t have believed it.” 

Crombie and Dr. Lawrence Loh, the Region of Peel’s medical officer of health, said 80 per cent of eligible Peel residents, those ages 12 and over, have now been fully vaccinated, up from 78 per cent last Thursday. That leaves some 250,000-plus people in the region with just one or no shots.

In Mississauga, there are now 40 cases of the virus per 100,000 population, down from 41 a week ago. In Peel, the number is 33/100,000, down from 37 last week. Additionally, there are 16 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Mississauga, three of which are intensive care situations. Those numbers are also down from one week ago. 

“We’ve been able to limit the impact of the fourth wave (in Peel) because 80 per cent of residents are now fully vaccinated,” said Crombie, adding she’s committed to getting to 90 per cent to avoid more lockdowns or increased restrictions that have been devastating to many businesses. “This is a huge milestone…this level of protection is crucial as we head into the colder months and people start to congregate more indoors.” 

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Still, Crombie warned, everyone must remain vigilant. 

“The reality is we can’t get complacent right now. We need to continue to follow public health protocols and guidance to not put at risk all the gains we’ve made,” she said. 

While Ontario’s COVID-19 science advisory table says more than 85 per cent of the eligible population needs to be fully vaccinated to avoid another lockdown this fall, both Crombie and Loh are shooting for 90 per cent in Mississauga and Brampton.  

That would turn a pandemic situation into an endemic one, which could much more easily be controlled, as is the case in Denmark, where “the bite of COVID-19 has significantly diminished,” said Loh.