75% of Canadians need one vaccine dose to have more normal summer: Trudeau

May 11 2021, 4:25 pm

COVID-19 cases need to be “way down,” with at least 75% of Canadians receiving their first shot before provinces ease public health restrictions, Prime Minister Trudeau said at a news conference Tuesday.

Setting out benchmarks as more Canadians receive invitations to book first dose appointments, Trudeau said there’s real hope the country could enjoy a more normal summer if cases are controlled, and vaccination uptake remains high.

“We can have a one-dose summer,” he said. “This sets us up for a two-dose fall, when we’ll be able to talk about going back to school and going back to work.”

He added vaccination alone won’t allow Canadians to have a good summer — immunization needs to be coupled with stifled community transmission.

“We have to get those case numbers now. We’ve got to crush COVID-19, right across the country.”

Canada should receive enough vaccine shipments by September to give two doses to all Canadians, Trudeau added. The country is on track to give everyone a first dose by summer.

“Sign up for that first dose, and take whatever vaccine is offered to you,” he said.

COVID-19 caseloads are slowly declining across Canada, but some regions are still experiencing troubling resurgences, according to Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam.

An average of 4,000 people received treatment in hospital for COVID-19 across Canada this week, and the country reported an average of 49 virus deaths daily.

 

 

Megan DevlinMegan Devlin

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