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Vaccinated students in Simcoe Muskoka will have 'terrific advantage' over unvaccinated students

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Barrie, Ont. -

With September fast approaching, Simcoe Muskoka's health officials urge parents to have their children 12 and older vaccinated as Ontario's top doctor warns unvaccinated students could face a separate set of isolation rules.

Simcoe Muskoka's medical officer of health (MOH) said children ages 12 to 17 are "trailing behind" in immunizations, partly because they were the last group made eligible for the vaccine.

Students have six weeks before the start of the school year to get their shots.

Currently, 38 per cent of students are fully immunized in Simcoe Muskoka.

"We want to do all that we can to have them ready for school," the region's top doctor said. "We need to get immunization up as high as we can."

For children under the age of 12 who aren't eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine, Gardner said the province would take measures with a tiered approach to students in school. "We need to ensure that the school environment is as safe as we can make it."

Meanwhile, Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's MOH, said if a COVID-19 outbreak were to happen in the school environment, unvaccinated students and staff would have to immediately isolate for at least 10 days and require two negative COVID-19 tests seven days apart before returning to in-person learning.

While students with two doses of a vaccine would have minimal interruption to their school year.

"Terrific advantage of being two-dose immunized by being able to stay in school and attend sports and participate fully in all of the social activities of the school setting," Moore said during his weekly COVID-19 update.

Simcoe Muskoka's health unit is preparing to close its mass immunization clinics by late August. Gardner pointed to walk-in clinics for earlier appointments.

With files from CTV News Toronto

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