Ontario logs 129 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths
Ontario is reporting 129 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday as well as five deaths related to the disease.
The new infections mark a slight increase from the 119 cases reported on Monday, but remain lower than the four previous days in which the daily case count has been above 150.
The seven-day rolling average of daily reported COVID-19 cases now stands at 157, up slightly from the previous week when that number was 149.
The five new deaths reported on Tuesday bring the death toll related to COVID-19 in Ontario to 9,321.
There are 91 people in Ontario intensive care units who have tested positive for COVID-19, but that number increases to 127 if patients who were admitted for the disease but no longer test positive are included.
Of those patients, 81 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
With just over 13,600 COVID-19 tests processed in the last 24-hour period, the Ministry of Health says the province’s positivity rate now stands at about one per cent.
In total, there have been 549,576 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario since the beginning of the pandemic, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES?
The majority of infections continue to be found in the Greater Toronto Area.
According to the province’s epidemiology report, 37 of the new cases were located in Toronto, while 22 were in Peel Region and 12 were in Hamilton.
Fourteen public health units are reporting no cases of COVID-19 while the remaining municipalities in Ontario have logged fewer than 10 new infections.
Seven additional cases of the Alpha B.1.1.7. variant were identified in lab-positive tests across Ontario in the last 24-hour period. This brings the total number of cases to 145,412.
There were also five more cases of the Delta B.1.617 variant identified in the province.
JUST OVER 92,000 SHOTS ADMINISTERED
In the last 24-hour period, Ontario has administered 92,035 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
More than 8.7 million people in the province have now received two doses and are considered fully vaccinated.
In total, 19,110,428 shots have made it into arms since the vaccine rollout began.
Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said Tuesday that the province is in the "last leg of the race" to get vaccine shots into arms, noting that just over 31,200 cases of COVID-19 have been prevented in adults to date as a result of vaccinations.
"A further 2,496 hospitalizations or deaths have been prevented in individuals 70 years of age and older, likely these are also an under estimate," he said. "This is a fantastic program that's saving lives, preventing hospitalization and protecting our communities."
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
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.