Toronto is continuing to see an increase in the number of first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being administered and Mayor John Tory says that he is “supremely optimistic” that the city will eventually reach its target of having 90 per cent of eligible residents fully vaccinated.

The number of vaccine doses administered in Toronto over the last week was up more than 13 per cent from the previous seven-day period, driven almost entirely by an increase in first doses (20,023 compared to 15,386).

The jump comes in the wake of Ontario announcing that it will require that individuals produce proof of vaccination in order to access some non-essential settings and businesses as of Sept. 22, something that some public health officials have suggested is behind an increase in the number of people being vaccinated after a months-long decline.

“I am supremely optimistic that we will get to where we need to be,” Tory said during a news conference on Friday morning. “It will take some time because we're going about this in a targeted door to door, building to building way now but we're going to get there because I think most people understand, aside from a tiny few who continue to insist on spreading misinformation, most people understand what needs to be done.”

Ontario health officials have said that it will take upwards of two months to reach the 90 per cent milestone, even with the recent uptick in the pace of vaccination.

Tory, however, told reporters on Friday that the city committed is doing whatever is necessary to further pick up the pace of vaccination and is planning a city-wide “day of action” which will encompass “a series of smaller events.”

“The city continues to do well but it's much more of a challenge for us now,” he conceded.

As part of a more data-driven approach to vaccination, the city has announced plans to open a new clinic at Woodbine Mall as of Sept. 21 while shuttering an existing clinic at the Hangar in North York on Sept. 18.

City officials say that the new clinic is close to several neighbourhoods with lower vaccination rates, including Kingsway Village-The Westway, Elms-Old Rexdale and Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown.

About 77.9 per cent of eligible Toronto residents are currently fully vaccinated.

The city say that it in order to reach the 90 per cent target approximately 327,000 Torontonians will need to get vaccinated. That includes 162,000 people who already received their first dose.