MELFORT — Glenn George, Melfort’s mayor, said he’s proud of the community after data was released showing 95 per cent of Melfort residents age 12 or older have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I was very pleased to hear that and I was very pleased when Dr. Shahab even mentioned it in one of his press conferences,” George said. “So I was very proud of the citizens of Melfort.”
In a statement, Dr. Mohammad Khan, medical health officer, said these numbers are a result of hard work from the dedicated staff in the community to not only promote, but provide opportunities for the public to receive both doses of the vaccine.
Khan suggested that a close examination of the processes that worked in Melfort may offer other areas with lower vaccination rates an opportunity to try various options to increase numbers in their communities, but understands that one cannot just replicate what happened in one community everywhere and expect the same results.
“I think it is a great lesson for us to not simply focus only on what is wrong in communities that have low rates, but to use this as a guide to better understand what communities have done right in these instances.”
Khan said that he believes the combined effort of local public health officials, physicians, pharmacies, and community leaders not only played an important role in making the vaccine accessible, but they also worked collectively to help battle the misinformation circulating in their communities by those not supporting immunization.
“The community needs to be recognized for taking responsibility for their actions and setting the precedent with this rate of vaccination.”
