Ontario logs fewer than 500 new COVID-19 cases for first time in 8 months
Ontario’s daily COVID-19 case count has dipped below the 500 mark for the first time in just over eight months.
Health officials logged 469 new infections on Tuesday, as well as 18 deaths related to the novel coronavirus.
The last time the case count was this low was on Sept. 26, 2020, when 435 COVID-19 cases were reported.
Tuesday also marks the ninth day in a row in which Ontario’s daily case count has been below 1,000.
The seven-day rolling average of daily reported COVID-19 cases continues to decline and now stands at about 679, down from 1,029 a week ago.
There are 621 people being treated for the novel coronavirus in Ontario hospitals. At least 481 of those patients are in intensive care.
With 17,579 tests processed in the last 24-hour period, the Ministry of Health says the province’s positivity rate now stands at 2.7 per cent.
The decline in COVID-19 cases over the past week resulted in an earlier reopening for Ontario, with the government announcing Monday that the province would move into Step 1 three days earlier.
On Friday, outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people will be allowed and patios will be able to open their doors. Non-essential retail will also be allowed to reopen with strict capacity limits.
The total number of lab-confirmed positive cases of COVID-9 in Ontario now stands 537,076, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES?
The majority of cases are found in Toronto (182) and Peel Region (76).
The province is reporting zero cases in York Region, but says that the case counts appear to be the result of data cleaning and updating previously reported cases.
Aside from York Region, there are eight public health units with no new COVID-19 cases, while all other municipalities are reporting fewer than 50 infections.
According to the province’s epidemiology report, 1,010 cases of the B.1.1.7. variant were identified in lab-positive tests in the previous 24-hours. These new cases bring the total number of B.1.1.7. variants in Ontario to 133,706.
The province also identified an additional 30 cases of the P.1. variant.
Ontario is not publicly reporting cases of the B.1.617 variant originally found in India.
MORE THAN 1.1 MILLION PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED
The province administered just over 158,200 vaccine doses in the last 24-hour period.
In total, more than 10.3 million vaccine doses have made it into the arms of Ontarians. Just over 1.1 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
Potential tornado 'surreal' for residents who witnessed damaging storm in southern Ontario
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.
Was this the bug that stung you? Wasp sightings revive murder-hornet concerns; no detections confirmed
As temperatures rise out of a mild El Nino winter, Canada's buggy season is already upon us again, and this year, the bugs are looking especially big.
Minister tables bill to extend citizenship rights to children born abroad
Immigration Minister Marc Miller tabled legislation today that is intended to extend citizenship to some children born outside of the country.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
Jennifer Lopez's response to question about Ben Affleck is a reminder of their decades of love in the spotlight
Plenty of people are wondering if Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are having problems in their marriage, but one person had the nerve to ask in a public forum.
U.S. Justice Department says illegal monopoly by Ticketmaster and Live Nation drives up prices for fans
The U.S. Justice Department filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation Entertainment on Thursday, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly over live events in America -- squelching competition and driving up prices for fans.
Adding just 10% ultraprocessed foods to healthy diets may raise risk of cognitive decline, stroke
Eating more ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and stroke, even if a person is trying to adhere to a Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the MIND diet, a new study found.
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished.