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Ontario to begin reopening Friday as 3rd wave of COVID-19 recedes

Ontario to begin reopening Friday as 3rd wave of COVID-19 recedes-Milenio Stadium-Ontario
More than 60 per cent of all Ontarians have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. (Grant Linton/CBC)

Ontario will move into the initial phases of its reopening plans three days ahead of schedule, the government said Monday, as the province reported its fewest number of new COVID-19 cases in more than eight months.

Delta variant prompts calls for Ontario to prioritize Peel for second vaccine doses

Delta variant prompts calls for Ontario to prioritize Peel for second vaccine doses-Milenio Stadium-Ontario
Peel Region medical health officer Dr. Lawrence Loh prepares to give an injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at an overnight clinic, at the International Centre, in Mississauga, Ont., on May 16 and 17, 2021. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Politicians and public health experts are urging the Ontario government to prioritize Peel Region for second doses of COVID-19 vaccines due to a contagious variant threatening the area.

Ontario speeding up 2nd dose eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines

Steve Clark, minister of municipal affairs and housing, said that the decision was made based on vaccination rates and “continuing improvements in key public health indicators.”

The province was initially supposed to begin Phase 1 of the plan, called the Roadmap to Reopen, on June 14. Instead it will take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Friday.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said cabinet met this morning to discuss the move.

Phase 1 allows for changes like larger outdoor gatherings, patio dining with up to four people and non-essential retail to open at 15 per cent capacity. Outdoor religious services, group exercise and day camps for children can also begin again, with limitations and health measures in place.

As of Sunday, more than 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Ontario. About 61.2 per cent of the total population, or 72 per cent of those aged 18 and older, have now had at least one shot.

The government and Chief Medical Officer of Health David Williams had set a threshold of at least 60 per cent of adults with a first shot before moving ahead with the start of reopening.

Case counts continue to decline

Meanwhile, week-over-week COVID-19 trends continue to decline overall.

The province reported 525 new cases of COVID-19 this morning, the fewest since late September 2020.

Vaccination in Mississauga-Milenio Stadium-Ontario
CBC

Labs completed just 15,117 tests and Public Health Ontario logged a positivity rate of 3.6 per cent, but today’s case count is well below last Monday, when 916 infections were confirmed with just over 18,000 tests done.

The rolling seven-day average of daily cases fell to 758, its lowest point since Oct. 21, 2020.

There are about 7,937 active infections provincewide, down from the third-wave peak of nearly 43,000.

As of Sunday, there were 497 people with COVID-related illnesses being treated in intensive care units, including 31 patients who were transferred from Manitoba. It marks the first time that figure has fallen below 500 since early April. Of those in ICUs, 339 patients needed a ventilator to breathe.

According to data from Critical Care Services Ontario, the average number of new daily admissions to ICUs continues to fall.

The Ministry of Health recorded the deaths of 15 more people with the illness, pushing the official toll to 8,869.

Meanwhile, public health units collectively administered another 116,829 doses of COVID-19 vaccines yesterday, the most ever on a Sunday.

More Ontarians are also eligible to book their second dose of a vaccine through the provincial system today.

Those aged 70 and older, as well as people who received their first dose of an mRNA vaccine on or before April 18, can now book their second shot on the province’s website or through its phone line.

CBC

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