Ontario logs 480 new COVID-19 cases as province marks new vaccine milestone

TORONTO -

Ontario is logging 480 new COVID-19 cases as the province reaches a new COVID-19 vaccination milestone.

Monday's count represents a significant decrease in infections following three days in which the province reported more than 500 cases.

There were 636 cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, 508 on Saturday and 563 on Friday.

The seven-day average of daily infections now stands at about 476, up from 371 the previous week.

With just over 22,900 tests processed in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the province's positivity rate now stands at about 2.2 per cent.

Two additional deaths were confirmed on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths related to COVID-19 in Ontario to 9,900.

There are 127 people being treated for the disease in intensive care units. The province does not release vaccination data for hospitalizations on Mondays due to a lack of reporting over the weekend.

The total number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario now stands at 603,711, including deaths and recoveries.

WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES?

According to the province's epidemiology report, there are 53 infections in Toronto, 29 in Peel Region and 39 in York Region.

Waterloo is reporting 49 cases while Ottawa is reporting 26 cases and Niagara is reporting 29.

Of the infections reported on Monday, 155 were found in people under the age of 19.

Provincial data shows an additional 85 COVID-19 cases in Ontario schools. Seventy-five of those infections were found in students. Three schools are closed as a result of the novel coronavirus.

There were 151 cases reported in individuals between the ages of 20 and 39 on Monday, as well as 101 cases in people between the ages of 40 and 49. Seventy-three cases were found in seniors over the age of 60.

85% ELIGIBLE ONTARIANS FULLY VACCINATED

The province has also announced that 85 per cent of eligible Ontarians aged 12 and up are considered fully vaccinated and have received both of their shots.

This equates to just over 11 million people, or about 75 per cent of the entire Ontario populations.

Health officials have said that 90 per cent of eligible Ontarians must be fully vaccinated in order to prevent the spread of the Delta variant.