As students begin online learning for at least the next two week, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has provided a vaccination rate update for area youth.
CEO Nicole Dupuis says 76.5 per cent of individuals between the ages of 12 and 17 have received two doses of the vaccine.
She says 33.7 per cent of children between the ages of 5 and 11 have received one dose.
Dupuis says the area's youth vaccination rates have plateaued.
"With the five to 11s we saw the same with the 12 to 17s, where we saw a quick increase at the beginning and then vaccination tapering off a little bit," she said.
Dupuis says there is still work to do.
"We are continuing to have conversations with our school board colleagues and those who work with children and youth within our region to see what we could do to reach out to parents to provide more education."
Acting medical officer of health, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, believes schools are a vital component for the well-being of young people and remain a priority.
"I remain optimistic that after this two week period, the schools will reopen for in person learning and we should continue to emphasize that as a goal at the health district level and across the province," he stated.
Back on December 1, the health unit reported 12.8 per cent of youth between the ages of 5 to 11 had received one dose of the vaccine.
There are 33,000 youth between the ages of 5 and 11 in Windsor-Essex that are eligible to receive the vaccine.