.
Canada Has Passed the United States in COVID-19 Vaccine First Doses Administered, with 48.5 percent of the population having received at least one dose of vaccine, compared to 47.9 percent of the population in the U.S.
.
Although Canada's coronavirus vaccination rollout got off to a slow start, due to delays in supply, lack of domestic production, and decentralized distribution (something very familiar to Americans as well), Canada is now administering over 350,000 vaccine shots per day. Canada also approved the Pfizer vaccine for kids aged 12-15 a week earlier than the U.S. did, bolstering eligibility for the vaccine.
The vaccines are helping bring down the number of Canada's new daily COVID-19 cases, which have decreased nearly 50%, from 7277 on April 20 to 3726 on May 19, 2021.
.
The trend is similar in the U.S., although of course on a larger scale: new cases fell from over 62,000 on April 21 to under 30,000 on May 20, 2021. The decline has been even more dramatic where I live, in NYC: confirmed + probable cases fell from 2522 on April 18 to 552 on May 18, 2021, a nearly 80 percent drop. Over that time, NYC administered 1.84 million vaccine doses. Currently the city has vaccinated 60 percent of its adult residents (~50 percent of the total population, including kids) with at least one dose, and 50 percent of adults (40 percent of the total population) are fully vaccinated. In my neighborhood, over 75 percent of the total population has received at least one dose of vaccine, and in places such as the Financial District, 99 percent have received at least one dose.
Since NYC is about 43 percent of New York State's population, the high rates of vaccination in NYC have helped New York reduce its daily new cases from its January 2021 peak of roughly 10X the current number of ~8.5 cases per 100,000 population, lower than half of U.S. states and lower than six Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.
.
When is the U.S.-Canada Border Reopening?
As great as the news is in terms of vaccinations both in Canada and the U.S., the border will remain closed until at least June 21, and most likely longer. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested that the border won't be reopened until at least 75% of Canadians are fully vaccinated, something that likely will only be achieved by fall 2021.
.
How is the vaccine rollout going in your area?
Recommended Posts
Canadian Airlines: Refund Passengers to Get Government Aid
Review: Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver Gold Floor Lounge
If you enjoyed this, join 200,000+ readers: follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Subscribe to TravelSort on YouTube for travel inspiration.
Become a TravelSort Client and Book 5-Star Hotels with Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred Partner Benefits