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
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in "all public spaces," marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.