COVID-19 cases in Ontario remain below 400 for sixth straight day
Ontario is reporting fewer than 400 new cases of COVID-19 for the sixth consecutive day.
The 318 infections logged Sunday mark a decrease from Saturday’s report when 355 were added.
Health officials recorded 345 cases on Friday, 370 on Thursday, 384 on Wednesday and a months-long low of 296 on Tuesday.
Labs across Ontario processed 21,063 COVID-19 tests in the last 24 hours, yielding a positivity rate of 1.7 per cent, according to the Ministry of Health.
The province’s case total now sits at 542,198, including 529,506 recoveries and 9,019 deaths, 12 of which were reported in the previous day.
Sunday’s report brings the seven-day average for the number of cases reported to 359. A week ago, that number was 514.
There are currently 333 patients in intensive care with COVID-19, according to data presented by the province. Of those patients, 208 are on a ventilator.
It should be noted that the total number of hospitalizations stated by the province Sunday is actually lower than that of ICU admissions at 266, which may be due to a delay in patient reporting over the weekend.
Where are the new COVID-19 cases?
Most of the cases reported today were found in Waterloo (51), Peel Region (49), and Toronto (45).
Case numbers in the double digits were also reported in Niagara Region, York Region, Durham Region, Ottawa, and Porcupine Health Unit.
Ontario is currently in Step 1 of its reopening plan, which allows for outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, patio dining at restaurants, and limited indoor non-essential shopping.
The province is expected to enter Step 2 of its reopening schedule on July 2 at the earliest. At that time, outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people, indoor gatherings of up to 5 people, and personal care services where face coverings can be worn will be permitted.
Update on COVID-19 variants
Another 148 cases of COVID-19 variants were confirmed in Ontario since yesterday.
Of those cases, 127 are the Alpha variant B.1.1.7, first discovered in the U.K., which brings the case total to 142,113.
No new cases of the Beta variant B.1.351, first discovered in South Africa, were recorded. The case total remains at 1,154.
One additional cases of the Gamma variant P.1, first discovered in Brazil, was confirmed, bringing its case total to 4,230.
At least 20 cases of the Delta variant B.1.617.2, discovered in India, were added. There are 751 confirmed infections of the variant in Ontario.
Vaccinations in Ontario
The province said it administered 184,251 doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday.
More than 12,551,000 residents have received a first dose since the vaccination campaign began in December.
That number includes 2,874,280 people who have received both a first and second dose and are considered to be fully vaccinated.
Background
The numbers used in this story are found in the Ontario Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Daily Epidemiologic Summary. The number of cases for any city or region may differ slightly from what is reported by the province, because local units report figures at different times.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.