Ontario logs 780 new COVID-19 cases as seven-day average continues to rise
Health officials reported an additional 780 new COVID-19 cases in Ontario on Wednesday, as well as six more deaths related to the disease.
For the most part, Ontario has seen more than 700 infections daily over the last week, with Tuesday being the exception with 687 cases.
There were 788 COVID-19 cases reported Monday, 964 on Sunday and 854 on Saturday.
As a result, Ontario's seven-day rolling average of daily infections continues to rise, standing at about 821 on Wednesday. This represents a significant increase from the previous week when that number was 692.
The last time the seven-day average was this high was on June 4.
With just over 35,300 tests processed in the last 24 hours, the province's positivity rate is about 3.1 per cent.
Six deaths were logged in the last 24 hours, but provincial officials say that one death was also removed from the total count due to data cleaning, bringing the tally to 10,005.
There are currently at least 155 people being treated for COVID-19 in intensive care units. Health Minister Christine Elliott says that of those patients, 133 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
Other vaccination data is not available today due to technical difficulties, the province said.
There have been 619,270 lab-confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario since the beginning of the pandemic, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES?
The public health units reporting the highest number of COVID-19 infections on Wednesday include Toronto (98), Windsor-Essex (88) and Simcoe-Muskoka (64).
According to the province's epidemiology report, there were 56 cases in Sudbury and it's districts, 44 in Ottawa, 43 in Waterloo, 37 in Durham Region, 33 in Hamilton and 32 in Kingston.
All other municipalities reported fewer than 30 infections.
The data shows that 180 COVID-19 cases were logged in people under the age of 12, with an additional 61 infections in people between the ages of 12 and 19.
On Wednesday, officials logged 185 school-related cases. Of those infections, 167 were identified in students. Thirteen schools in Ontario are closed as a result of COVID-19.
Forty-three cases were confirmed in child-care centres and homes in Ontario, with 32 infections logged in children. Fifteen facilities are closed.
There were 214 cases in people between the ages of 20 and 39, and 200 infections in people between the ages of 40 and 59.
There are 125 cases in seniors over the age of 60.
As of Tuesday, four cases of the new Omicron variant have been identified in Ontario. Canada is imposing new testing requirements on all air travellers coming from outside of Canada in an effort to curb the spread of the B.1.1.529 variant.
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.
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.
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.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
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.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
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.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.