The City of Toronto continues to respond to COVID-19. Today, Mayor John Tory, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa and Fire Chief and General Manager of the Office of Emergency Management Matthew Pegg provided an update on measures to stop the third wave of the pandemic and the Team Toronto effort to vaccinate people as quickly as possible.
There are 328 new cases of COVID-19 in Toronto today. Since the start of the pandemic there have been a total of 167,400 cases of COVID-19. There are 774 people hospitalized. To date, there have been 3,396 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. In total, 160,466 people have recovered. Case status data can be found on Toronto Public Health’s reporting dashboard.
Team Toronto Sprint Strategy mobile and pop-up clinics continue to provide COVID-19 vaccine access and improve vaccine equity in priority communities, including youth vaccination. The priority area with the highest coverage is now the M1M hot spot, with 72.5 per cent of people having received at least one dose of vaccine. Across the 36 Sprint Strategy areas prioritized prior to this week, 63.4 per cent of adults have received a first dose of vaccine.
More than 29,000 doses of vaccine have been allocated to the Sprint Strategy this week. The team is now micro-targeting locations within hot spot neighbourhoods based on data insights, offering vaccinations in neighbourhoods and residential buildings with low vaccine coverage. This week, Team Toronto remains focused on priority neighbourhoods, including the top 10 priority areas:
First dose vaccination at mobile or pop-up clinics is available to anyone age 12 or older. Hospital and community partners intentionally promote community clinics only to the specific neighbourhoods that the clinic is meant to serve. Clinics are brought to the attention of eligible local residents directly through primary care physicians like family doctors, employers, building managers, faith leaders and other local leaders who are directly connected with the people the community clinics will serve. It is usually not possible to book an appointment online or by phone for a pop-up or mobile clinic. More information on Sprint Strategy postal code areas is available on toronto.ca.
First dose vaccination appointments for everyone age 12 and older are available at City-run immunization clinics. Appointments can be booked by residents through the dark blue “Book a Vaccine” button on toronto.ca/covid-19 or by calling the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-833-943-3900. Those seeking a vaccine appointment can also register and check availability with healthcare partners through vaccineto.ca, local pharmacies or healthcare providers.
To easily connect to resources including vaccine appointment bookings, information on vaccines and upcoming telephone town halls, Toronto residents can text “VACCINE” to 1-833-750-0888 or 833-750-0888 for more information.
Today, Province of Ontario revoked the province-wide Stay-at-Home Order. All of Ontario, including Toronto, remains subject to provincial Shutdown Zone provisions until further notice in accordance with the Province’s Roadmap to Reopen. Indoor gatherings with individuals from other households are not permitted and outdoor gatherings are limited to five people or fewer, who may be from different households. Please review the City’s COVID-19: Guide for Residents for public health guidance and information on what is and is not permitted under provincial regulations and City bylaws.
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Please note, this news release was updated on June 2, 2021 to reflect that the M6B postal code is included in the 10 priority hot spot postal codes. A previous version erroneously stated M6P was included.