Ontario reports 346 new cases of COVID-19, 13 new fatalities Saturday

By News Staff

Ontario reported 346 new cases of COVID-19 Saturday, an increase from the 256 cases recorded on Friday.

“Locally, there are 64 new cases in Toronto, 39 in the Region of Waterloo, 34 in Peel Region, 32 in Grey Bruce and 24 in the Porcupine Health Unit region,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a tweet Saturday morning. “This includes 256,260 doses administered yesterday – a new #TeamOntario record!”

Today’s data is based on more than 25,600 completed tests.

The government also reported 13 new fatalities, bringing the province’s total coronavirus-related death count to 9,114 people since the pandemic began last year.

The Ministry of Health says 286 people are in intensive care because of the virus and 183 are on a ventilator.

Youth between the ages of 12 to 17 who live in designated hot spots for the Delta COVID-19 variant can book accelerated second vaccine dose appointments as of today.

Health units covering Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Peel, Porcupine, Simcoe-Muskoka, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph and York are considered hot spots for the more transmissible variant.

That demographic will have the option to re-book their second doses as of 8 a.m. today, through the provincial booking portal, pharmacies or their local health unit.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only shot currently authorized for use in youth in Canada.

Vaccines have been booked four months apart in Ontario, but the province is offering more people the option to shorten the interval based on increasing vaccine supply.

Youth elsewhere in the province will keep their second-dose appointments for now, but the province says it’s aiming to accelerate doses for them before school returns in September.

 

Files from the Canadian Press were used in this report

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