Ontario hits record with nearly 4,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19
Ontario has set another record for the highest number of people in hospital with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Health officials reported on Saturday that 3,957 people are testing positive for COVID-19 in hospital, which is an increase of 143 in the past 24 hours. That number is up from 2,594 hospitalizations one week ago.
The province says there are 558 people being treated in intensive care, up from 527 on Friday.
The province said 53 per cent of the hospitalizations are people who are in hospital primarily due to COVID-19, while the remaining 47 per cent were admitted for other reasons but are now testing positive for the virus.
Ontario also added 10,732 new COVID-19 infections today, but that number is an underestimate of the true case count due to restrictions on testing.
In the past 24-hour period, the test positivity rate in the province was 24.8 per cent.
According to the government, there were 43 COVID-19-related fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 10,565.
In total, there have been 937,636 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario, including deaths and recoveries.
In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 2,045 new cases in Toronto, 1,533 new cases in Peel Region, 868 new cases in York Region, 986 new cases in Durham Region and 627 new cases in Halton Region.
Officials reported 508 new cases in Waterloo region and 466 new cases in Ottawa.
Ontario reported 277 resident cases and 89 staff cases in long-term care settings across the province. It also noted that three of the 10 deaths reported were long-term care residents.
Officials stated that at least 417 long-term care homes are currently dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Brokenhearted husband dies after wife slain in Texas rampage
Fourth-grade teacher Irma Garcia was killed in her Texas classroom on Tuesday, massacred along with her co-teacher and 19 students. Two days later, a family member says her brokenhearted husband died.

Police: Texas gunman was inside the school for over an hour
The gunman who massacred 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school was inside for more than an hour before he was killed in a shootout, law enforcement authorities said Thursday amid mounting public anger and scrutiny over their response to the rampage.
Man fatally shot by police near Toronto elementary school after reportedly walking streets with rifle
One man is dead after being shot by police near a Toronto elementary school on Thursday afternoon. The incident sent hundreds of students into lockdown.
UPDATED | Monkeypox cases up to 26; first case detected in Ontario: PHAC
There are now 26 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Canada, according to an update from the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the virus has been detected in a new province, with one case in Ontario.
Trudeau signals new gun-control changes coming; here's what the Liberals have promised
In the wake of a horrific mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signalled that the Canadian government will be moving ahead on new gun-control measures 'in the coming weeks.' In previous Parliaments, the Liberals have made changes to Canada's gun laws, but in the 2021 federal election, Trudeau promised to go further.
Ray Liotta, 'Goodfellas' star, dead at 67
Ray Liotta, the actor known for his roles in 'Field of Dreams' and the Martin Scorcese mob classic 'Goodfellas,' has died.
Russian plane grounded indefinitely at Toronto Pearson racking up huge parking bill
A massive Russian plane that was grounded at Toronto Pearson International Airport back in February is racking up a substantial parking bill.
'Horrifying' conspiracy theories swirl around Texas shooting
By now it's as predictable as the calls for thoughts and prayers: A mass shooting leaves many dead, and wild conspiracy theories and misinformation about the carnage soon follow. Within hours of Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, another rash began as internet users spread baseless claims about the man named as the gunman and his possible motives.
Amber Heard ends testimony asking Depp to 'leave me alone'
Amber Heard told jurors Thursday that a harassment campaign waged against her by ex-husband Johnny Depp has left her humiliated and scared for her life from multiple death threats, and said she just wants 'Johnny to leave me alone.'