COVID-19: Latest developments in the Greater Toronto Area on March 30

Here are the latest developments on the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greater Toronto Area for Tuesday.

Toronto Public Health recommended the temporary closure of six more schools Tuesday due to COVID-19 investigations.

The schools are part of both the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB).

Affected TDSB schools include Clinton Street Junior Public School, Gateway Public School, Ryerson Community School and Thorncliffe Park Public School.

The TDSB said remote learning will continue for students.

The affected TCDSB schools are St. Jude Catholic School and St. Rose of Lima Catholic School.

Toronto Public Health says that as of Monday morning, 55.6 per cent of the city’s residents in that age group had received at least one shot, with nine per cent fully vaccinated.

By comparison, the provincial government said Monday that 77 per cent of Ontarians 80 and older had gotten their first dose.

The proportion of residents aged 75 to 79 to have obtained at least one shot was the same for both, however, at 40 per cent.

Both York and Halton regions say people aged 65 and older can begin to book their COVID-19 vaccine appointments Wednesday.

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For those in Halton, residents can book here for April appointments.

“We are continuing to make good progress to vaccinate our most vulnerable populations through our community clinics and mobile teams,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr in a statement.

“Our ability to keep vaccinating at this pace remains contingent on ongoing vaccine supply from the federal and provincial government.”

For those in York, residents can book here for their appointments beginning at 8:30 a.m. The region said approximately 15,000 new vaccine appointments will be available.

0:45 COVID-19: Ford says supply instability ‘biggest threat’ to Ontario’s vaccination success

Spring break for Ontario’s schools will go ahead as planned next month, at least for now, the education minister said Tuesday, drawing criticism for not providing enough clarity on the matter.

Stephen Lecce said the government will let families know if recommendations from the province’s top doctor necessitate a change to the break scheduled for the week of April 12.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government is considering additional restrictions to combat a surge in COVID-19 and is urging people not to gather over the Easter weekend.

Ford says he is “extremely concerned” about rising infections and stressed that residents must follow public health rules.

0:50 Premier Ford tells people not to have plans for Easter, ‘won’t hesitate to lock things down’

Ontario continues to face “short-term instability” in the province’s COVID-19 vaccine supply despite positive news from the federal government Tuesday about speeding up shipments later this year, a spokesperson for the premier’s office says.

Ivana Yelich, the director of media relations for Premier Doug Ford, provided an update in an email Tuesday regarding the current status of vaccine shipments.

The new variants of concern (VOCs) are responsible for a 21 per cent increase in hospital admissions since Ontario went into its province-wide lockdown in December, according to a new report which warns the VOCs are having a “substantial impact” on the health-care system.

The report from Ontario’s COVID-19 science table published Monday said the new variants of concern now account for 67 per cent of all cases in the province, as numbers climb back into the 2000s per day.

Ontario reported a total of 2,336 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday.

Of those:

• 727 were in Toronto
• 434 were in Peel Region
• 229 were in York Region
• 194 were in Durham Region
• 91 were in Halton Region

Ontario is reporting 2,336 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the sixth straight day cases are above 2,000, bringing the provincial total to 347,570.

The death toll in the province has risen to 7,351 as 14 more deaths were recorded.

Resolved cases increased by 1,477 from the previous day. The government said 36,071 tests were processed in the last 24 hours.

As of 8 p.m. on Monday, the provincial government reported administering 2,102,380 total COVID-19 vaccine doses, representing an increase of 70,645 in the last day. There are 313,889 people fully vaccinated.

According to the Ministry of Long-Term Care, there have been 3,753 deaths reported among residents and patients in long-term care homes across Ontario, which has remained unchanged since March 19.

There are 50 current outbreaks in homes, which is a decrease of four from the previous day.

The ministry also indicated there are currently nine active cases among long-term care residents and 113 active cases among staff — unchanged and up by six, respectively, in the last day.

Government figures show there have been a total of 12,237 school-related COVID-19 cases in Ontario to date. This is an increase of 518 more cases within a three-day period — 440 student cases, 77 staff cases and one individual was not identified.

The COVID-19 cases are currently from 1,168 out of 4,828 schools in the province which is just over 24 per cent of schools. Fifty-eight schools in Ontario are currently closed as a result of positive cases, the government indicated.

There have been a total of 3,588 confirmed cases within child care centres and homes — an increase of 96 (59 new child cases and 37 staff cases). Out of 5,279 child care centres in Ontario, 308 currently have cases and 68 centres are closed.

— With files from The Canadian Press