ontario to roll out school vaccine clinics; 526 new cases reported
covid-19 vaccination clinics are expected to run before the start of school, and through the first few weeks of class
aug 16 2021
3 minute read
ottawa - july 5, 2021 - tourism returning to the byward market in ottawa monday.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
by: aedan helmer
new coronavirus cases in ottawa and ontario
ontario is reporting 526 new laboratory confirmed covid-19 cases monday, with 353 of those cases identified in people who are unvaccinated, while 60 cases involved people who were partially vaccinated. no deaths were reported in the province.
another 321 cases have been resolved in the past 24 hours. there have now been 556,087 total cases in the province and 9,418 deaths, with 542,797 cases now considered resolved.
there were 15,784 tests conducted in the past 24 hours with a 2.7 per cent positivity.
there were 128 new cases in toronto, 83 in peel, 66 in york, 52 in hamilton, and 20 cases in ottawa, according to provincial data.
ottawa public health releases updated local data each afternoon.
ontario hospitals currently have 108 patients and 119 in intensive care, with 66 requiring a ventilator. ontario public health statistics of icu hospitalizations and ventilator cases contain some patients who no longer test positive for covid-19 but who are being treated for conditions caused by the virus. as such, the number of patients in icu or that require a ventilator may exceed the number of patients in hospital with covid-19.
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the virus reproduction rate, which measures the rate of spread in the province, is an average 1.39 for the past week.
any value over 1.0 indicates the virus is spreading.
another 26,033 vaccine doses were administered on sunday, with 20,213,876 total doses administered in ontario as of 8 p.m. sunday. that represents 81.5 per cent of eligible residents (age 12-plus) with at least one dose, and 9,583,506 ontarians who are fully immunized, or 73.5 per cent of eligible residents.
in surrounding regions, there were two new cases in the hastings-prince edward region, two in kingston and one in leeds, grenville and lanark.
no new cases were found in renfrew or in the eastern ontario public health unit.
the latest covid-19 news in ontario
the province is working with ontario’s 34 public health units and with school boards to host vaccination clinics in, or nearby schools.
covid-19 vaccination clinics are expected to run before the start of school, and through the first few weeks of class as part of the province’s strategy to target those who have yet to receive a first or second dose.
the clinics will also provide “accessible and convenient access” to eligible students and their families, and to educators and school staff.
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“we have made tremendous progress getting students, staff and their families vaccinated – they are critical to protecting schools and keeping our communities safe,” said minister of education stephen lecce in a statement. “as part of the last mile campaign to reach as many students and staff as possible and to keep schools as safe as possible, we are requiring school boards and public health units to roll out clinics in or close to schools.”
as of this week, more than 69 per cent of youth aged 12 to 17 have received a first vaccine dose, and 56 per cent have received a second dose.
chief medical officer of health dr. kieran moore said the return to in-person classes is “crucially important” for students’ mental, physical and social well-being. “having vaccination clinics at our schools will make it more convenient for students to receive their vaccine in a familiar and comfortable environment and will help to ensure a safer and sustained reopening of our schools,” moore said.
vaccines will only be provided if informed consent is received from the individual, which includes eligible students, government officials said.
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