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
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.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'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.
Some customers steaming after McDonald's ends free hot drink sticker program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.