Ontario is reporting 741 new cases of COVID-19 today as the province prepares to receive its first shipment of the children’s vaccine.

The daily case count is up slightly from the 728 reported on Saturday, and marks the fourth straight day the province has surpassed 700 new infections.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says 410 of the new cases are among individuals who are either not fully vaccinated or whose immunization status is unknown.

Elliott says 107 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 and 135 are in intensive care. Not all hospitals report data on weekends.

The province also reported three more deaths linked to the virus.

The first shipment of COVID-19 pediatric vaccines for children aged five to 11 is expected to arrive in Canada today. Health Canada approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for kids on Friday after reviewing safety and efficacy data from the company for weeks.

Many public health units across the province say they are preparing to inoculate their five-to-11 population starting this week, but add they’re awaiting details before opening up vaccine appointments.

Provincial data show almost 89 per cent of Ontarians 12 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 86 per cent have two.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2021.

The Canadian Press

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