COVID-19 cases in Ontario jump past 200 for first time in three weeks
Ontario health officials are reporting a jump in COVID-19 cases Thursday with more than 200 new infections recorded.
The 218 cases mark the first time in three weeks in which the province has logged more than 200 new cases.
Thursday's report brings the total number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases across Ontario to 549,952, including 539,200 recoveries and 9,328 deaths related to the disease.
Right now, the seven-day average for number of cases reported sits at 165. That's up from the 155 reported a week earlier.
With 19,425 tests processed in the last 24 hours, the province’s COVID-19 positivity rate is 1.3 per cent, according to the Ministry of Health.
There are currently 121 patients in intensive care with COVID-19. Of those patients, 79 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
Where are the new COVID-19 cases?
Most of the cases reported by the province Thursday were found in Toronto (38), Peel Region (38), and Waterloo (19).
Other health units that reported case numbers in the double digits include Hamilton (25), Grey Bruce (13), Halton Region (12), Middlesex-London (10), and York Region (10).
At least 16 of the province's 34 public health units recorded fewer than 10 new cases of the novel coronavirus and several others recorded no new cases.
Update on COVID-19 variants of concern
Another 377 cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant B.1.617.2 were confirmed in the last 24 hours. This brings the case total for the strain to 4,421.
Thirty-four cases of the Alpha variant B.1.1.7 were also found, bringing the case total to 145,508.
Labs logged two additional cases of the Gamma variant P.1. There are 5,161 such infections confirmed in Ontario.
No new cases of the Beta variant B.1.351 were recorded since yesterday. The case total remains at 1,492.
More than 19 million doses of vaccine administered
Since the beginning of the province’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Ontario has administered 19,293,701 doses of vaccine.
That includes 89,000 shots that went into arms yesterday and more than 8 million residents that have received both doses 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
Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
Why Kim Kardashian is being sued for 'knockoff' furniture
The estate of minimalist contemporary artist Donald Judd filed a lawsuit against Kardashian this week, claiming the fashion and beauty mogul promoted 'cheap knockoffs' of his furniture designs.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
King Charles will attend Easter Sunday service at Windsor
Buckingham Palace officials say King Charles III and Queen Camilla will attend an Easter service at the chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday.