Ontario plans to expand vaccination as COVID cases stabilize in several provinces

It comes as ministers said the United Kingdom was on track to meet its pledge of offering a vaccine to everyone in the top four priority groups by Monday.

After becoming the first in the world to approve a vaccine, the government set an ambitious target to reach care home residents and staff, frontline health and care workers, all those aged 70 or over and the clinically extremely vulnerable.

Britain has now given 15 million people their first dose of vaccine against Covid-19, the minister in charge of the vaccination programme said on Twitter on Sunday.

Staff and essential caregivers in long-term care homes, high-risk retirement homes and First Nations elder care homes.

This applies to all who receive their first dose with the exception of residents of long-term care, high-risk retirement and First Nations elder care homes, those 80 and older, and residents in other types of congregate care homes for seniors.

Ontario’s positivity rate hits 3-month low, over 1,500 new cases
That number has been steadily declining, it increased on Monday for the first time since January 11 where it peaked at 3,555. The province said they anticipate a fluctuation in case numbers in the following days as the data issues correct themselves.

He added the government would "not rest" until vaccines were offered to all of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's top nine priority groups by the end of April, and after this all adults.

High priority health-care workers include those who work in community care settings with a lower risk of exposure, including mental health and addiction services and campus health-care workers.

Ontario unveiled plans to expand its COVID-19 vaccination rollout to more target groups ahead of an expected boost in nationwide shipments of the Pfizer vaccine that could lend ammunition to the provinces' fights against the spread of contagious variants. Those groups will receive the second dose between 21 and 27 days after their first.

Meanwhile, more than 15 million people of the most vulnerable groups in Britain have received a first dose of a coronavirus jab, according to the latest official figures.

This phase, officials noted, will also see the vaccination of people above 65 and those whose immunity is weak and is likely to easily be compromised like those with cancer, diabetes, HIV and other serious diseases.