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 the City’s measures to prevent the spread of the virus and efforts to vaccinate all Torontonians in accordance with the Province of Ontario’s vaccine rollout.
Since the start of the pandemic there have been a total of 111,270 cases of COVID-19 in the city, an increase of 670 new cases today. There are 302 people hospitalized. To date, there have been 2,788 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. In total, 101,724 people have recovered. Case status data can be found on the Toronto Public Health’s reporting dashboard: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/c
To date, more than 480,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Toronto. As of 1 p.m. today, there were approximately 7,700 first dose appointment slots available between today and Friday at City-run immunization clinics, although bookings are occurring steadily. City mass immunization clinics will also remain open this Easter weekend to continue vaccinating as many people as possible as soon as possible. Anyone age 70 or older or a trusted person booking on an eligible resident’s behalf can book appointments through the dark blue “Book a Vaccine” button on www.toronto.ca/covid-19 or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Information Line at 1-888-999-6488.
Today, Chief Pegg reiterated the mechanisms in place to ensure there is no vaccine wastage in City-operated COVID-19 immunization clinics. The City’s daily clinic capacity directly affects daily vaccine inventory ordering and preparation. The number of appointments booked and expected every day match the vaccine that is available to be administered at a specific site. Vaccine expiry dates are considered in the planning of clinic operations and there are proactive strategies in place to ensure no vaccine doses are spoiled. The City works with our healthcare partners and the Provincial Vaccine Distribution Taskforce to ensure that vaccine allocations are available when needed and that any unused doses as a result of missed appointments are reallocated and administered to people who are eligible within the provincial prioritization framework.
As Toronto continues the rollout of mass immunization, to reduce and eliminate the transmission of COVID-19, protect the healthcare system and save lives, the City continues to urge all residents to stay home as much as possible to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Please review the City’s simple “Dos” and “Don’ts” guide for recommended and mandatory public health measures under provincial regulations and City bylaws: https://www.toronto.ca/home/co
SOURCE City of Toronto
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