Here are the latest developments on the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greater Toronto Area for Monday.
Toronto opens 3 more vaccination clinics
Three more City-run vaccination clinics will open in Toronto on Monday, joining the other six currently operating.
Cloverdale Mall, North Toronto Memorial Community Centre and Carmine Stefano Community Centre will have appointments available for people born in 1961 or earlier, as well as residents aged 50 or older who live in hot spot neighbourhoods.
As of Sunday, Toronto officials said 244,155 people have booked vaccine appointments.
The other six locations are at the following: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto Congress Centre, Scarborough Town Centre, Malvern Community Recreation Centre, Mitchell Field Arena, and The Hangar.
To book a vaccine, click here.
Mississauga man believed to be 1st Canadian with COVID-destroyed lungs gets transplant
Timothy Sauve was brushing his teeth one morning in December when he was hit by a dizzy spell that knocked him off his feet.
The 61-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., didn’t expect that to be the first sign of a COVID-19 infection. But within days he had developed a fever, experienced breathlessness in his sleep, and was rushed to hospital with a deteriorating condition that eventually required a double-lung transplant — believed to be the first done in Canada on a patient whose lungs were irreparably damaged by the virus.
Sauve, a healthy, physically fit man before he contracted the virus, saw the infection wreak havoc on his lungs over his two-month stay in the intensive care units of two different Toronto area hospitals.
While his lungs were scarred beyond repair, the virus didn’t damage any of Sauve’s other organs, making him a candidate for the rare procedure that saved his life.
Read more:
Ontario man believed to be 1st Canadian with COVID-destroyed lungs gets transplant
Status of cases in the GTA
Ontario reported a record 4,401 new coronavirus cases on Monday.
Of those:
- 1,282 were in Toronto
- 772 were in Peel Region
- 564 were in York Region
- 224 were in Durham Region
- 177 were in Halton Region
Ontario reports 4,401 COVID-19 cases, another record of ICU patients
Monday’s case count is the second highest single-day increase to date, only slightly lower than Sunday’s which saw a record breaking 4,456 new cases. The provincial total stands at 391,009.
The death toll in the province has risen to 7,567 as 15 more deaths were recorded.
Resolved cases increased by 2,445 from the previous day. The government said 47,929 tests were processed in the last 24 hours.
Ontario reported 1,646 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 (up by 133 from the previous day) with an all-time high of 619 patients in intensive care units (up by 14) and 408 patients in ICUs on a ventilator (up by 26).
As of 8 p.m. on Sunday, 3,214,465 total COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered. That marks an increase of 74,722 vaccines in the last day. There are 333,419 people fully vaccinated with two doses.
Read more:
Ontario reports 4,401 COVID-19 cases, another record of ICU patients
Variants of concern in Ontario
Officials have listed breakdown data for the new VOCs (variants of concern) detected so far in the province which consist of the B.1.1.7 (first detected in the United Kingdom), B.1.351 (first detected in South Africa), P.1 (first detected in Brazil), as well as mutations that have no determined lineage.
The B.1.1.7 VOC is currently the dominating known strain at 16,540 variant cases, which is up by 2,153 since the previous day, 81 B.1.351 variant cases which is up by three, and 140 P.1 variant cases which is up by six.
Cases, deaths and outbreaks in Ontario long-term care homes
According to the Ministry of Long-Term Care, there have been 3,755 deaths reported among residents and patients in long-term care homes across Ontario which did not increase from yesterday. Eleven virus-related deaths in total have been reported among staff.
There are 41 current outbreaks in homes, which is unchanged from the previous day.
The ministry also indicated there are currently 24 active cases among long-term care residents and 120 active cases among staff — up by one and up by three, respectively, in the last day.
— With files from The Canadian Press
NOTE: This page will be updated throughout the day.
