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       Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce chats in the hallway prior to making an announcement, at St. Robert Catholic High School in Toronto, on Aug. 4.

       Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press

       Ontario will run COVID-19 vaccination clinics in schools and in nearby locations as the academic year begins.

       The government says it’s working with local public health units and publicly funded school boards on the plan.

       Education Minister Stephen Lecce says health units and boards will be required to host the clinics, which he says will bolster protection against COVID-19.

       The clinics are part of a government strategy to reach people who aren’t yet immunized and to offer an accessible option for students, staff and their families to get their shots.

       The province says the clinics are expected to run before school starts and in the first few weeks of classes but did not immediately say where any clinics had been scheduled.

       Youth aged 12 to 17 have the lowest vaccination rate of eligible age cohorts in Ontario, with 69 per cent having received one dose and 55 per cent fully vaccinated.

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