Just over 150 new COVID-19 cases logged in Ontario as 7-day average rises
Ontario is reporting just over 150 new cases of COVID-19 as the seven-day rolling average of daily infections continues to rise.
On Wednesday, health officials logged 158 new cases of the novel coronavirus, as well as four additional deaths related to the disease.
There were 127 infections reported on Tuesday, 119 on Monday and 172 on Sunday.
The seven-day rolling average of daily COVID-19 cases now stands at about 160, up from 155 the previous week.
The seven-day average has been creeping up following four days in which the daily case count was above the 150 mark.
With just over 20,500 COVID-19 tests processed in the last 24-hours, the Ministry of Health says that the province’s positivity rate now stands at about 0.8 per cent.
The deaths reported Wednesday bring the province’s death toll related to COVID-19 to 9,325.
According to the province, there are 122 patients in Ontario intensive care units as a result of COVID-19. Of those patients, 83 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
In total, there have been 549,734 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 identified in Ontario, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES?
The majority of new infections are found in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
There are 25 cases in Toronto, 19 in York Region, 19 in Waterloo, 15 in Hamilton, 13 in Durham Region and 10 in Peel Region.
Eleven public health units are reporting no new cases of COVID-19, while all other municipalities have logged fewer than 10 infections.
SIGNIFICANT JUMP IN DELTA VARIANT
On Wednesday, the province reported an additional 123 cases of the Delta B. 1617.2 variant in lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19. This brings the total number of Delta variant cases in Ontario to 4,044.
Ontario health officials also reporte62 more cases of the Alpha B.1.1.7. variant and 17 cases of the Gamma P.1. variant.
In total, there are 156,169 lab-confirmed cases involving variants of concern identified in Ontario.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore said on Tuesday the Delta variant is expected to cause a rise in cases over the next few months and that vaccination is critical to reduce hospitalizations and deaths.
He added that the risk of getting the disease is 6.4 times higher for unvaccinated people.
In the last 24 hours, 94,116 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered to eligible Ontarians.
More than 8.7 million people have received two shots and are considered 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
Asking rent prices up 9.3% across Canada, Ontario sees only decline: report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canada's longstanding blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma was harmful and discriminatory, Canadian Blood Services acknowledged on Friday, in issuing an apology to the LGBTQ2S+ community.