Today, Mayor John Tory announced that the City of Toronto’s VaxTO campaign is reaching out directly to older residents to encourage them to get their third COVID-19 vaccine dose.
VaxTO launched in spring 2021 to connect Torontonians with COVID-19 vaccination appointments and information. The new phase of the campaign will focus on individuals aged 50 and older who are most susceptible to severe outcomes should they contract COVID-19. Recent Toronto data shows that among those aged 60 years of age and older, individuals with only two doses of vaccine were four times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 illness than those who received at least three doses of vaccine.
Close to 40,000 people living in 13 Toronto neighbourhoods with the highest numbers of eligible residents who have not yet received a third dose of vaccine will be contacted by phone through the VaxTO call centre. This includes using live agents to connect with individuals whenever possible and addressing a variety of vaccine hesitancy and accessibility concerns, and other barriers to vaccination.
The VaxTO campaign has helped connect millions of residents with COVID-19 vaccination information and resources through a variety of targeted, multilingual outreach methods. Tactics have included sending approximately 2.5 million broadcast voice messages to phone numbers across the city in seven different languages, texting more than 173,000 eligible Torontonians in December and January, reaching more than 2 million Torontonians through targeted digital ads and receiving more than 25,000 text messages through the text line at 1-833-750-0888, which offers 14 different language navigation options. Twelve telephone town halls ranging from city-wide, to Ward-, demographic- and language-specific, have also been hosted, with more than 210,000 total attendees.
Quotes:
“Team Toronto campaigns like VaxTO have helped our city reach a high level of vaccination coverage and that has helped us make progress reopening. But now, more than ever, it is important that we continue to follow our evidence-based approach to ensure the most vulnerable are protected. Using outreach methods such as live callers, gives us the opportunity to speak directly with Torontonians to not only connect them with information, but also help address their concerns and remove any remaining barriers to vaccination. Toronto is a leader in this type of outreach and I look forward to seeing many more people get their third dose thanks to this campaign.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Our VaxTO campaign is about connecting with people directly, in order to ensure that they have access to the information and resources they need to get vaccinated. By focusing on third-dose conversion, VaxTO will connect to Torontonians over 50 who still need their third dose to help address any hesitancies or issues they are experiencing. Through our equity-based and data-driven strategy, VaxTO will help to break down barriers and make vaccines more accessible for communities with lower vaccination rates.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Toronto Board of Health
“Toronto Public Health and our Team Toronto partners want to ensure everyone in Toronto has the opportunity to receive the protective benefit of three doses of COVID-19 vaccine – and most especially those at greatest risk. The higher the third dose vaccination rate across our entire population, the greater protection is provided to our entire city. ”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto Medical Officer of Health
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.