More than 60% of Toronto youth have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
The City of Toronto says that more than 60 per cent of youth between the ages of 12 and 17 have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Tuesday’s announcement comes amid a two-week “vaccination blitz” by the city, which continues this week and aims to get more needles in young people’s arms by way of more than 65 youth-focused clinics.
Over the last week, more than 10,900 shots were administered to youths across Toronto, according to the city.
In a news release, Mayor John Tory thanked families for speaking with their children about the importance of getting the shot.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective and will ensure young people are protected and ready to go back to school in the fall,” he said.
The city called the number of vaccinations completed an important milestone in the fight against the Delta variant, which officials have said is on track to become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Ontario.
Provincewide, 51 per cent of youth aged 12 to 17 have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Ministry of Education said Tuesday.
A day earlier, the city announced that more than 75 per cent of adults had received a first dose of vaccine and more than 30 per cent of adults have received a second dose and are considered to be fully vaccinated.
Youths between the ages of 12 and 17 looking to get a jab can do so through the provincial booking system here. Those interested will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine, which is approved for all individuals 12 years of age and older.
The strategy to vaccinate more young people in Toronto is being co-led by Toronto Public Health and The Hospital for Sick Children.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.