New COVID-19 cases in Ontario jump back above 200
Ontario health officials are reporting more than 200 new cases of COVID-19 after three days of daily infection numbers below the 170 mark.
The province confirmed 213 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, which comes after officials reported 139 infections on Wednesday, 168 on Tuesday and 164 on Monday.
Before Monday, the province had reported case numbers above the 200 mark for four straight days.
Ontario’s rolling seven-day average now stands at 198, up from 165 at this point last week.
With 23,494 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province stands at 1.2 per cent.
The province recorded 14 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the total death tally in the province to 9,374.
Twelve of the deaths reported today occurred between February and May 2021, the Ministry of Health said. They are being reported as part of a data catch-up.
There are at least 113 patients in intensive care in Ontario hospitals and 77 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
The province deemed 183 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Thursday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 540,258.
Today’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 551,338, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO
In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 44 new cases in Toronto, 31 new cases in Peel Region, 18 new cases in York Region, 11 new cases in Halton Region and seven new cases in Durham Region.
Officials also reported 18 new cases in Hamilton, 17 new cases in Windsor, 14 new cases in Waterloo and 10 new cases each in Ottawa and London area. All other regions outside of the GTA reported fewer than 10 new cases of the disease.
Ontario is currently in Step 3 of its reopening plan. The province is operating under the loosest set of public health restrictions observed in months. In order to move to a complete reopening, the province has set certain vaccination targets.
VARIANTS OF CONCERN IN ONTARIO UPDATE
The province detected several more cases of variants of concern on Thursday. Officials are analyzing cases on an ongoing basis to detect mutations and variants of concerns.
The province confirmed an additional five new cases of Alpha B.1.1.7 on Thursday. The total case count for the strain now stands at 145,543.
Officials identified no new cases of the Beta B.1.351 variant and so the total case count in the province remains at 1,493.
In addition, the province also found four new cases of the Gamma P.1 variant, which brings its total number of cases to 5,168.
As for the Delta variant, also known as the B.1.617 variant, officials reported 185 new cases of the strain, which brings the total number in the province to 5,094.
MORE THAN 9.7M PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED IN ONTARIO
The province reports that 9,189,535 people in Ontario have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are now considered fully vaccinated against the disease.
In the last 24-hour period, officials said 58,213 doses of the vaccine were administered to Ontario residents.
Just over 19.7 million vaccine doses have been administered in the province since the rollout began last year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
Man ticketed after allegedly trespassing again at Drake's Bridle Path mansion to get his bike
A man who tried to access Drake’s Bridle Path mansion earlier this week returned to the property Saturday and was apprehended again for allegedly trespassing, Toronto police say.
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Biden calls Trump 'unhinged,' says 'something snapped' in former president after he lost 2020 U.S. election
U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday called Donald Trump “clearly unhinged” and claimed that “something snapped” in the former president after he lost the 2020 election.
Wildfire that forced evacuation of Fort Nelson, B.C., caused by tree falling on wires, mayor says
The wildfire that prompted the evacuation of more than 3,000 people near Fort Nelson, B.C., was caused by a tree falling on wires, according to the municipality's mayor.
Switzerland's Nemo wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest
Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with 'The Code,' an operatic ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing their nongender identity.
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.