Ontario reported 510 new COVID-19 cases on Friday; it’s the second time in a row that cases have broken the 500 mark since June 13 (when 530 cases were recorded). There are a total of 554,472 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario reported to date.
The province also recorded four new deaths (an increase from zero deaths recorded in the previous report). The provincial COVID-19 total death toll is now 9,416.
Out of the new cases: 129 cases were reported in Toronto, 33 in York Region, 61 in Peel Region, 17 in Durham, 51 in Hamilton, and 21 in Simcoe Muskoka District.
As of Friday morning, 20,096, 593 doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Ontario; 81.31% of people 12+ in Ontario have received at least one dose and 72.81% of people 12+ in Ontario are fully vaccinated.
Out of the 513 new cases reported on Thursday — 368 were unvaccinated and 142 were partially vaccinated.
According to Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott, 111 people are in hospital ICUs with COVID-19; from those patients, three are fully vaccinated and 108 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
111 people are in ICU due to #COVID19. Three are fully vaccinated and 108 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status at this time.
There are 510 new cases of COVID-19. 368 cases are in unvaccinated individuals and 57 in partially vaccinated individuals.
— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) August 13, 2021
Meanwhile, as reported on Aug. 12 Premier Doug Ford’s government allegedly told 680NEWS that businesses in Ontario are welcome to use the federal vaccine passport as proof of vaccination if they so choose; however, Ontarians can also download or print an electronic COVID-19 vaccine receipt through the provincial portal.
NEW – The Ford government tells 680NEWS that businesses in the province are welcome to use the federal vaccine passport as proof of vaccination if they so choose, however
it says Ontarians can download or print an electronic COVID-19 vaccine receipt through the provincial portal— Richard Southern (@richard680news) August 11, 2021
If anything, this led to more questions:
Are businesses allowed to deny customers entry in to their stores/restaurants without a vaccine passport certifying they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days earlier?
— Dr. Arunachapally Vijayasukharamani (@RealSalluKhan) August 11, 2021
While others were worried about vaccine certificates being faked.
In a press release, the Government of Canada noted that they will collaborate with provinces and territories to develop a proof of vaccination that will facilitate cross-border travel.
“For Canadians who decide to travel, using a proof of vaccination will provide foreign border officials with the vaccination history needed to assess whether a traveller meets their public health requirements and provide a trusted and verifiable credential for when they return home,” the government release noted.
Travellers will be able to submit their proof of vaccination via ArriveCAN (the website or mobile app) when coming back to Canada. While the focus is on digital proof of vaccination, they will also make sure that these documents are accessible for all Canadians who may need to use them.
Click here for more COVID-19 Ontario updates.
