Ontario reports 1,299 new COVID-19 cases and 15 new deaths - CBC.ca

Ontario reported 1,299 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 15 new deaths on Sunday, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott.

Toronto is reporting 329 new cases, Peel Region is reporting 192 new cases and York Region is reporting 116 new cases.

The province's cumulative total of confirmed COVID-19 cases has now reached 308,296, with 7,067 cumulative deaths.

Both the daily case count and number of deaths reported on Sunday are an increase from provincial numbers reported on Saturday, when the province logged 990 new cases and six new deaths.

The latest figures come one day before Toronto and Peel Region are set to lift stay-at-home orders that have been in place for four months.

On Monday, both regions will move into the grey zone, which will allow for non-essential stores to open at 25 per cent capacity.

Grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies will operate at 50 per cent capacity. Individuals will still need to wear a mask and practice physical distancing.

Dr. Barry Pakes, program director for Public Health and Preventative Medicine at the University of Toronto, told CBC News on Sunday that the transition feels like "a reasonable thing to do right now."

"The changes are really marginal," he said, "and we do have to go really slow."

Medical officers of health in both regions have stressed the need for a slow transition and Pakes says he approves of that approach.

Ontario delivers over 890,600 shots of vaccine

As of 8 p.m. on Saturday, Ontario has administered 890,604 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Toronto accounts for at least 197,155 of those doses. The city has vaccinated nearly 125,000 people as of Friday.

Ontario recently announced plans for an accelerated vaccine rollout, which should see all adults 60 and older given a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by early June. That's a full month sooner than initially planned.

However, that plan is contingent upon supply.

"We know how to run mass vaccination campaigns and engage our partners to get all adults vaccinated by June. It's doable as long as the vaccine arrives," Pakes said. 

Pakes added that the challenge has really been the "whiplash back-and-forth" on availability.

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2021-03-07 16:22:24Z
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