Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says increasing COVID-19 booster uptake among Canadians is important to reduce the need for the type of restrictions imposed in recent years as winter approaches. “If we are able to hit that 80, 85, 90 percent of Canadians up-to-date on their vaccinations, we’ll have a much better winter with much less need for the kinds of restrictions and rules that were so problematic for everyone over the past years,” Trudeau said on Sept. 1 while visiting the St. Boniface University in Manitoba.
While over 85 percent of the population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 injection, just under 50 percent have received a booster dose, according to Health Canada. “COVID is not done with us yet. We might want to be done with it, but it’s still around,” said Trudeau. He added there’s a “real risk” of another wave as the temperature cools and people move indoors.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced last week the implementation of a national booster campaign to drive vaccine uptake. “It’s like a phone battery … you recharge your phone battery by plugging into electricity, you recharge your vaccination protection by taking action and getting [a booster],” Duclos said during a press conference.