Ontario sees 373 new COVID-19 cases as scannable vaccine certificates become available for all eligible

Ontario reported 373 additional cases of COVID-19 on Monday, as enhanced certificates with QR codes became available for all vaccinated residents in the provinceto download.

The provincial government has said the scannable documents will allow for faster entry into settings that require proof of vaccination.

The enhanced system officially takes effect on Friday, but Ontarians can get their new vaccine certificates before then, and businesses can start using a new app to verify those codes. You can read more about the QR codes work here.

Residents whose birthdays fall between January and April were able to download the enhanced vaccination certificate through the province's COVID-19 website on Friday, and further cohorts got access over the weekend.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a tweet that as of Monday morning, more than 2.2 million people had downloaded their enhanced certificates.

Under Ontario's program, only those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a valid medical exemption from a doctor can access certain settings. They include theatres, gyms, nightclubs and restaurant dining rooms.

New cases continue downward trend

Meanwhile, the cases loggedtoday pulled the seven-day average of new infections to 416, its lowest point in more than two months.

The province also reported the deaths of two more people with COVID-19, pushing the official toll to 9,815.

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

New school-related cases: 88, including 77students and 11 staff. Twoof the 4,844 publicly-funded schools in Ontario are closed due to COVID-19.

Tests completed in the last 24hours: 20,432, with a positivity rate of 1.8per cent.

Active cases:3,846, the fewest since mid-August.

Vaccinations: 12,399doses were administered by public health units on Sunday. Roughly 83.2 per cent of eligible Ontarians, those aged 12 and older, have now had two doses of vaccine.