Yukon's COVID-19 vaccination rate hits 76 per cent for first shot

In January, Agnes Mills was the first person in Yukon to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As of Monday, 27,153 people in the territory, or 76 per cent of the eligible adult population, had received at least their first shot. (Mark Kelly Photography/Government of Yukon - image credit)

Yukon health officials are touting a milestone reached this week — more than three-quarters of eligible adults in the territory have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the territory's vaccine tracker on Monday afternoon, 27,153 eligible adults, or about 76 per cent, had received their first shot of the Moderna vaccine, and 23,845, or 67 per cent, had received both doses.

In a written statement, Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee said Yukon is leading the country in immunizations.

"The more people get immunized, the safer our territory will be," the statement reads.

Officials say the vaccination rate continues to climb across all age groups. Younger adults have so far been slower to get vaccinated than older adults in Yukon, and uptake has also varied between communities.

Yukon's COVID-19 vaccine tracker gives a weekly snapshot of how much of the eligible population has received shots. (Yukon government)

Last week, the government said it had scored some Pfizer vaccine doses from the federal government, in order to vaccinate youth in the territory. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for use in children aged 12 and up.

Vaccine clinics for youth are expected to begin in the coming weeks. Yukon officials say first doses should be administered before the end of the school year.

Next week, the territory will begin easing some pandemic restrictions, prompted in part by the high vaccination rate.

As of May 25, people arriving in the territory will no longer have to isolate for 14 days so long as they can prove they're fully vaccinated. Restaurants and bars can also return to full-capacity indoor seating on that day.