Ontario reports lowest COVID-19 positivity rate since end of February
Ontario is reporting another 13 deaths related to COVID-19 as the positivity rate in the province continues to slowly decline.
On Saturday, officials said that just over 12,000 PCR tests have yielded a positivity rate of about 8.9 per cent. This is the lowest positivity rate the province has seen since the end of February.
The majority of Ontario residents cannot be properly tested for COVID-19 due to restrictions put in place by the government.
Wastewater data provided by the province’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table appears to show a continued decline in infection in most regions, although northern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area appear to be seeing a small uptick.
Twelve of the 13 COVID-19 deaths have occurred over the last month while the remaining case was added to the cumulative total due to data catchup.
In total, 13,159 people have lost their lives after contracting the disease.
Officials say there are 1,116 people in hospital with the novel coronavirus, including 160 in intensive care.
Just under half of ICU patients are being treated for COVID-19 while the remaining patients tested positive after being admitted for other ailments.
Nearly 39 per cent of all hospitalizations are the direct result of a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ontario has logged 1,294,447 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.