TORONTO -- Ontario health officials recorded 266 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, a 0.8 per cent increase over the previous day.
While this marks the highest number of new cases reported in a single day this week, it also represents the sixth straight day in which the province has reported fewer than 300 new cases of the virus.
The province added that nine more people died of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hour period.
Right now, there are 31,992 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, including 2,507 deaths and 26,538 resolved cases.
Testing for COVID-19 in Ontario continues to remain high with 27,456 tests completed since yesterday, the third straight day in which more than 20,000 tests were conducted in the province.
Ontario's Minister of Health Christine Elliott commented on the increased testing numbers Saturday morning while noting that there may be “upticks in cases some days” as a result.
“What matters most are trends, which continue to show Ontario on a downward trajectory,” Elliott said in a tweet.
And while the number of daily tests performed continues to climb, the number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in hospital is dropping.
As of Saturday morning, the province says that 489 people are currently hospitalized, the first time in months that number has been lower than 500. Of those patients in hospital, the province says that 110 are being treated in an intensive care unit, 68 of which are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
Quick facts on all COVID-19 patients in Ontario:
- To date, 17,317 patients in the province are female and 14,416 are male
- 1,352 patients are 19 years of age or younger
- 8,893 patients are between the ages of 20 and 39
- 9,799 patients are between the ages of 40 and 59
- 6,235 patients are between the ages of 60 and 79
- 5,699 patients are 80 years of age or older
