Ontario reports 526 new COVID-19 cases, 67% in unvaccinated people

Ontario reported 526 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, alongsideno further deaths linked to the illness for a second straight day.

The Ministry of Health says that 353, or about 67 per cent, of the additional infections were in people who were unvaccinated. Some 113, or roughly one-fifth, were fully vaccinated individuals, while another 60 had just one shot of COVID-19 vaccine.

Importantly, the data on the vaccination status of individual cases does not include breakdowns by age, or indicate how long after a first or second shot of COVID-19 vaccine a person contracted the virus, or whether they were symptomatic at the time of testing.

Today's total case count is up from last Monday, when the province logged 325 additionalcases. The seven-day rolling average of new infections stands at 469.

Here are some other key pandemic indicators and figures from theMinistry of Health's daily provincial update:

Tests completed in the last 24 hours: 15,784.

Provincewide test positivity rate: 2.7per cent.

Active cases: 3,872.

Patients in ICU with COVID-related illnesses: 119, up three from yesterday and the most overall in about two-and-a-half weeks.

Death toll: 9,418

Vaccinations: 26,033 doses were administered by public health units on Sunday. About 73.5 per cent of eligible Ontarians, those aged 12 and older, have now had two shots.

Meanwhile, Ontario says it will will run COVID-19 vaccination clinics in schools and in nearby locations as the academic year begins.

The government says it's working with local public health units and publicly funded school boards on the plan.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce says health units and boards will be required to host the clinics, which he says will bolster protection against COVID-19.

The clinics are part of a government strategy to reach people who aren't yet immunized and to offer an accessible option for students, staff and their families to get their shots.

The province says the clinics are expected to run before school starts and in the first few weeks of classes but did not immediately say where any clinics had been scheduled.

Youth aged 12 to 17 have the lowest vaccination rate of eligible age cohorts in Ontario, with 69 per cent having received one dose and 55 per cent fully vaccinated.