Ontario logs 1,791 new cases of COVID-19 and 18 more deaths

Ontario is reporting 1,791new cases of COVID-19 and 18 additional deaths on Sunday.

Health MinisterChristine Elliott said in a tweet that the province's network of labs completed more than 49,200 tests over the last 24 hours.

Locally, there are 495 new cases in Toronto, 350 in Peel, 177 in York Region and 106 in Durham.

It's the third straight day that new cases are above the 1,700 mark. There were 1,745 new cases on Friday and 1,829 yesterday.

As of 6p.m. yesterday, 1,521,705 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, Elliott said.

There are now 14,230 known active cases of COVID-19 across the province.

765 people in hospital due to COVID-19

There are currently765 people in hospital due to COVID-19. Of this number,302 are in intensive care unitsand 189 are breathing with the helpof a ventilator.

The new cases on Sunday bringthe total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario over the course of the pandemic to 328,874, including deaths and recoveries.

A total of 1,353 cases of the disease were marked asresolved as of Sunday, bringing the number of recovered patients up to 307,403.

More than 7,200 people are known to have died of infection since March 2020.Two ofthe deaths reported on Sunday involved residents of the long-term care system.

Province expanding COVID-19 immunization campaign

Meanwhile, Elliott says Ontarians aged 75 and olderwill be able to book vaccination appointments online starting Monday.

Anyone who is turning 75 or older in 2021 will be eligible, according to the province.

Eligible individuals can also call the Provincial Vaccine Information Line at 1-888-999-6488.

Certain pharmacies and family doctors in select regions will also be permitted to give the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot to residents aged 60 and older.

Ontario began vaccinating individuals aged 80 and over in February, and launchedan online booking tool and a call centreto answer questions and support appointment bookings at mass immunization clinics.

"The progress we are making on our Vaccine Distribution Plan demonstrates what can be done when we unleash the full potential of Team Ontario,"Premier Doug Ford said on Friday.

"Thanks to the efforts of an army of front-line health-care heroes and volunteers, we are getting needles in arms even faster than we had imagined," he said.

"All we need now is a steady and reliable supply of vaccines from the federal government to ensure anyone who wants one, gets one as soon as possible so we can all stay safe."

The City of Hamilton also says people aged 80 and older (born 1941 or earlier) can now book their COVID-19 vaccine appointment using the provincial online booking tool.