The City of Toronto continues to respond to COVID-19. Today, Mayor John Tory and Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa provided an update on the City’s efforts to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to everyone who wants a vaccine as quickly as possible.
Toronto Public Health is reporting 30 new cases of COVID-19 in Toronto today. Since the start of the pandemic there have been a total of 170,228 cases of COVID-19. There are 65 people hospitalized. To date, there have been 3,585 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. In total, 166,354 people have recovered. Case status data can be found on Toronto Public Health’s reporting dashboard.
The City and Team Toronto vaccination partners have now administered 3.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and more than 60 per cent of Toronto adults are fully vaccinated.
Today, Mayor Tory provided an update on the Homestretch Vaccine Push, Team Toronto’s targeted campaign to increase vaccine uptake in the York-Etobicoke-Rexdale area. Over the weekend, 2,615 total doses were administered in the Homestretch target neighbourhoods, compared to 1,215 doses during the prior weekend – an 87 per cent increase in vaccination. At one of the clinics, 55 per cent of doses administered were first doses, confirming the team is making progress reaching the community.
Dr. de Villa today clarified comments made Monday by the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to a question about the need for future booster vaccinations. The response to the question has been taken out of context. The individual was describing what would happen if people decided to try to get a booster on their own and did not rely on medical advice. Dr. de Villa advised that in Ontario we follow the advice of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, which makes its recommendations based on the best available evidence. This includes studies from the United Kingdom, Spain and Germany that found mixing vaccines is safe and produces a strong immune response.
All people age 12 and older are eligible to book first dose or accelerated second dose vaccination appointment 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. Last week, the City opened walk-in vaccinations for adults at four of the nine City-operated vaccination clinics.
The City is urging everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19, including a second dose, to best protect themselves and the community as soon as possible. More than 140,000 Torontonians still have vaccination appointments in August, September and October that could be moved to July. Anyone with an appointment for later this summer or fall is encouraged to change it to an earlier date and get vaccinated sooner. Appointments at City-run clinics can be cancelled or changed on toronto.ca/covid-19 or by calling the provincial booking line.
The Province is moving Ontario to Step Three reopening ahead of schedule because of positive progress in key health indicators, including vaccination coverage. In Step Three, restrictions put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 are being relaxed. The City has updated the COVID-19: Reopening Guide for Toronto Residents with a list of activities that are permitted when Toronto enters Step Three on Friday.
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.