Ontario reports 166 new COVID-19 cases, 6 additional deaths

Ontario is reporting 166new COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths from the virus on Sunday.

Sunday's daily case count marks the lowest numberof cases in a singleday that the province has seen since Sept. 9, 2020.

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

Seven-day average of daily cases: 181

Tests completed: 19,651

Provincewide test positivity rate: 0.9per cent, marking six straight days of a rate below one per cent

Active cases: 1,592

Patients in ICUwith COVID-related illnesses: 202; 132needed a ventilator to breathe

Deaths: 6, pushing the official toll to 9,251

Vaccinations:170,537 doses were administered on Saturday. More than 79 per cent of Ontario adults have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce sayshe continues to seek advice from "expert opinions" on a plan to have students return to class full-time in person in the fall.

One of those experts is Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert.

"Thanks for your leadership throughout the pandemic," Lecce wrote in a tweet on Sunday.

With the return to school under two months away, teachers' unions have been calling on the province to release a concrete plan on getting kids safely back in classes.

While it's unclear when the province will release full details of its plan, Leccesaid last week thatthe province's recent move to allow Ontarians 12+ to receive vaccines will allow for a more flexible and "normal" in-class learning experience.

Dr. Anna Banerji,pediatrician and infectious disease specialist,told CBC News on Sunday that the impactof COVID-19 among children has been "minimized" during the pandemic.

"Most kids have mild symptoms ...but we can't underestimate that there is an impact for kids," she said.

She urgedfamilies with children that haven't yet been vaccinated to be "very careful" given COVID-19 variants of concern, including the Delta variant and the more recent Lambda variant, both of which continue to spread inOntario.

Banerjisaid getting all students 12 and older, as well as education workers and school custodians, vaccinated will be crucial in lessening the impact ofthe virus once in-person learning resumes in the fall.

When it comes to children under 12, she is urging families to ensure that anyone in close contact with their child has been immunized.

"We know that kids with the new variants ... they can get sick," she said.

"We just need to protect the kids as much as we can, but prevent the spread."