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Hospitalizations almost 'exclusively' among those without a COVID-19 vaccine

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Barrie, Ont. -

As daily case counts continue to surge in parts of the United States, some Canadian health professionals say the country could be on the same path with the expectation Canada will see a surge in Delta variant cases come the fall.

However, the past president of the Ontario Medical Association, Dr. Sohail Gandhi, views the United States as a warning for Canada and believes there's still time to turn everything around.

The key, he said, is vaccination.

"I'd like to see the numbers in Simcoe County increase because we're only at 56 or 58 per cent fully vaccinated right now in Simcoe County, and I think we can do better," said Dr. Gandhi.

"Thankfully, there's less vaccine hesitancy in Canada than there is in the United States, so I believe we are going in the right direction here, but I do think we need to use the U.S. as a cautionary tale," he added.

On Sunday, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said America is heading "in the wrong direction."

CTV News | Fauci says U.S. headed in 'wrong direction' on coronavirus

According to The Associated Press, Dr. Fauci said the issue is "predominantly among the unvaccinated," with just under half the eligible American population vaccinated.

As of Monday, at least 80 per cent of eligible Canadians ages 12 and up received at least one dose of vaccine, while just over half of those eligible for the shot are now fully vaccinated.

As Ontario recorded another 119 new daily infections, the vaccination numbers are comparable to those of the country as a whole. Just over 79 per cent of eligible Ontarians have received at least one dose, while nearly 60 per cent received that crucial second shot.

Health officials continue to push the message that two doses of the vaccine will provide the best protection against the Delta variant and believe the threshold for herd immunity is 90 per cent or higher.

However, the OMA past president said the struggle remains with those hesitant to get at least one shot, saying hospitalizations now are almost "exclusively" among those who have yet to get the jab.

"We need to make sure the information we present to people who are vaccine-hesitant are accurate and stays accurate, but it also must be consistent and repeated over and over again," Dr. Gandhi said.

"It's a hard, hard job to talk to people who are very ingrained beliefs, but I believe it can be done," he concluded.

With files from the Associated Press

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