Of the new confirmed cases, 376 were among those who were not fully vaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
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There were 598 new cases of COVID-19 and five new deaths reported in Ontario on Friday.
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This reflects a slight drop compared to the 642 new cases reported Thursday. Three deaths were reported on Thursday.
Of the new confirmed cases, 376 were among those who were not fully vaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted on Thursday morning.
There are 207 people with COVID-19 in Ontario hospitals. Of these, 158 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown status. There are 132 people in ICU in the province due to COVID-related illness, and 72 people on ventilators.
So far, 88.6 per cent of Ontario residents who qualify have received at least one dose and 85.3 per cent are fully vaccinated, said Elliott.
In health units in the capital region, there were three new cases in the Eastern Ontario health unit and 10 new cases in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington. There is one new case in Renfrew County, while Leeds, Grenville Lanark reported nine.
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The province said Friday that 98 per cent of staff in the province’s long-term care homes have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 95 per cent have two.
The province’s latest data come just days before long-term care staff have to show proof of a first shot in order to continue working.
Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips had originally set Monday as a deadline for staff to have received both doses, but now says they must have received at least one dose by Nov. 15 and both doses by Dec. 13.
A spokesperson for Phillips says the numbers released Friday are incomplete, as 57 homes have yet to submit updated data due to technical issues with the reporting system.
Meanwhile, the Renfrew County and District Health Unit is urging patrons and staff of the Prior Sports Bar in Arnprior to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms after a serving worked at the bar during their contagious period.
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The server worked from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 4. The health unit said anyone who was a the bar in that time period may have been exposed and urged patrons and other workers to self-monitor for symptoms until Sunday, even if fully vaccinated.
In Renfrew County, COVID-19 tests are available through the Virtual Triage Assessment Centre (VTAC) at https://rcvtac.ca/ or call 1-844-727-6404.
Latest COVID-19 news in Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health reported 37 new cases and no new deaths on Friday.
There are 326 active cases in the city, with 24 people currently in hospital with an active infection and two in ICU.
As of Thursday, the seven-day estimated reproduction rate R(T) in Ottawa was 0.98. A number lower than one indicates the virus is receding.
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Ottawa Public Health reported only one new outbreak, in an elementary school. There are currently nine ongoing outbreaks in healthcare institutions, eight in schools and childcare facilities and two in the community.
Meanwhile, the latest update on the OPH vaccination dashboard indicates 855,599 residents aged 12 and over (87 per cent) have received two doses of vaccine.
Latest COVID-19 news nationally
Health Canada has authorized the use of Moderna vaccine for booster shots.
The department already approved the use of Pfizer-BionNtech’s COVID-19 vaccine and a third dose of vaccine has already been administered to certain populations at risk in several provinces, including Ontario.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) believes that several groups, including people over 70, could benefit from a third dose.
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This is not compulsory and the two-dose vaccination is sufficient for the vaccination passport, experts say. A booster dose prolongs protection against the virus, but NACI believes that two doses provide sufficient protection for the general population.
As with the Pfizer vaccine, the third dose of Moderna is reserved for those 18 years of age and over and should be given at least six months after the second.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said Friday it appears that Canada is “experiencing a bit of turbulence” when to comes to infection rates.
“There may be bump in our trajectory over the coming weeks with further easing of public health measures and as we spend more time indoors during the cooler weather,” said Tam.
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“Over the past seven days, an average of close to 2,500 new cases were reported daily across Canada, which is 11 per cent higher than last week.”
Right now, severe illness trends are stable, but infection rates need to be kept down, she said.
There are still gaps in vaccine coverage, including over 4.3 million children under the age of 12 and five million eligible people. Coverage is not the same everywhere, said Tam.
“Where there are pockets of very low coverage, there is a higher risk of local surges.”
Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo said public health officials continue to monitor levels of immunity in various populations.
However, it’s still unclear if everyone will require a booster shot.
“We do need to do a cost-benefit analysis because it would be a big decision to have a third dose for everyone,” said Njoo.
Dr. Suriya Sharma, Canada’s chief medical adviser, said a team is looking at data on vaccines for children under 12 and expects to have a final decision in the next week or two.
COVID-19: Ontario reports 598 new cases; Moderna approved for boosters; 37 new cases in Ottawa - Ottawa Citizen
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