The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU), which covers a large area west of Thunder Bay to the Manitoba border, released a public statement on Oct. 14 saying that calls from the OMH aim to help "answer questions and ensure unvaccinated residents know how and where to get vaccinated."
The OMH said that the calls are part of a vaccine outreach campaign by the Provincial Vaccine Contact Center. These obtrusive calls are targeting residents with a health card who remain unvaccinated.
According to the OMH, the calls come "from live agents and are only to offer information and an opportunity to book an appointment." To get the numbers of unvaccinated people in Ontario, the government is accessing databases of contact information provided to the OMH when registering for or renewing a health card.
Anna Miller, a spokesperson with the OMH, said that they are also tapping into databases with data about vaccines already administered to citizens in Ontario. Miller explained that the OMH "has the authority under section 37(1)(c) of the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 to use and link the information from these databases for planning and delivering the COVID-19 vaccination program."
The OMH can also contact individuals "to encourage vaccination," said Miller. (Related: Canadian university forcing online students to report their vaccination status or be PUNISHED.)
Canada's vaccination campaign intensifies
The number of fully vaccinated people vary by region. Ottawa is the first health region in Ontario with at least 90 percent fully vaccinated population while Cornwall has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the province with 69 percent fully vaccinated population.
In various areas of Canada and in Ontario, mobile vaccine units, vaccination vans and pop-up clinics have been sent into vulnerable communities to help citizens who may have issues with language, technology or other barriers to getting their doses of the vaccine. The summer vaccine vans traveled to parks to reach youth and families in Montreal.
Additionally, British Columbia launched a widespread "Vax for B.C." outreach program in mid-summer. The province is now targeting specific areas with high rates of coronavirus cases, such as the Fraser Valley.
In Canada, schools are one of the last remaining community centers that have yet to be utilized in the nationwide vaccine campaign. It is still unclear if schools will be used as a site for the vaccination campaign once a coronavirus vaccine is approved for children younger than 12.
Poll suggests tensions are high between vaccinated and unvaccinated Canadians
According to a recent poll, tensions over COVID-19 vaccines in Canada are high while frictions grow between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
Results of the Leger survey, which was conducted for the Association of Canadian Studies (ACS), revealed that more than three in four respondents have negative views of those who are unvaccinated. The online poll surveyed 1,549 Canadians from September 10 to 12.
The survey showed that vaccinated people consider the unvaccinated "irresponsible and selfish," which is obviously not the case. Some unvaccinated citizens have been taking part in demonstrations outside hospitals and schools to protest vaccine passports and other public health measures in Canada.
According to an earlier association poll, unvaccinated Canadians are more worried about getting the vaccine than contracting coronavirus. The same poll also revealed that most Canadians won't welcome unvaccinated adults into their homes.
ACS President Jack Jedwab concluded that he expected tensions between the vaccinated and unvaccinated to worsen as governments and employers continue to push for vaccine mandates instead of allowing citizens to choose for themselves amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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