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.
Toronto Public Health is reporting 751 new cases of COVID-19 in Toronto today, however due to a technical issue with provincial laboratory data, today’s case count is likely over-reported. Since the start of the pandemic there have been a total of 163,041 cases of COVID-19. There are 1,018 people hospitalized. To date, there have been 3,285 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. In total, 152,012 people have recovered. Case status data can be found on the 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. Vaccination coverage in Sprint Strategy hot spot postal codes has grown steadily, now surpassing vaccination coverage in other areas of Toronto. In the M3J postal code – which includes York University Heights and parts of Jane and Finch – more than 88 per cent of those age 18 to 24 have initiated vaccination, higher than any other age group in this area and the highest for this age group across all Team Toronto priority hot spots.
The City and Team Toronto vaccination partners continue to prioritize postal code areas with high rates of COVID-19 for mobile and pop-up clinics. The team has added seven new postal code areas for Sprint Strategy mobile and pop-up clinics:
The 29 postal code areas prioritized in the Sprint Strategy are now:
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Vaccination at mobile or pop-up clinics is available to anyone age 18 or older living in the 29 areas. 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.
There are first dose appointments available at City-operated immunization clinics, including 19,000 new appointments for the upcoming long weekend. Anyone 18 or older is eligible to book a vaccination appointment at a City-operated immunization clinic 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. Appointments at all City-operated clinics must be booked in advance through the provincial booking system.
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 the virus. Please review the City’s COVID-19: Guide for Residents for recommended and mandatory public health measures 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.