Ontario logs 854 more cases of COVID-19, two additional deaths
Health officials in Ontario are reporting 854 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday as well as two additional deaths linked to the disease.
The seven-day average for the number of cases reported in the province now stands at 729. A week ago, that number was 635 and two weeks ago it was 563.
On Friday, Ontario saw 927 new cases of the novel coronavirus, marking the highest single-day case total reported since Sept. 4 when the province logged 944 infections.
Saturday’s report comes a day after Canada announced that it would ban the entry of foreign nationals who may have travelled through southern Africa in the last two weeks. The decision was sparked by an announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO), which designated B.1.1.529 as a new COVID-19 variant of concern dubbed “Omicron.”
The variant, which was first reported from South Africa on Nov. 24, contains a “large number of mutations,” some of which “are concerning,” according to the WHO.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said that to date, there are no indications of the variant’s presence in Canada. However, Tam said it is “very difficult” to keep the mutation out of Canada “entirely.”
Hours before the announcement, Premier Doug Ford had publicly called on Ottawa to ban all flights and passengers from countries that are linked to the newly discovered variant, which include South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
Of the cases reported today, 451 involve unvaccinated individuals, 349 involve those who are fully vaccinated, 23 are partially vaccinated, and 31 were found in those without a known vaccination status.
Right now, there are 254 patients in hospital with COVID-19, including 83 unvaccinated patients, 48 fully vaccinated patients, and eight partially vaccinated patients. The vaccination status of the remaining 115 patients is unknown.
ICU admissions for COVID-19 total 134, 60 of those patients are unvaccinated, 11 are fully vaccinated, and three are partially vaccinated. No vaccination information was provided for the remaining 60 patients.
With 31,444 tests processed in the last 24 hours, the province said that its COVID-19 positivity rate is 3 per cent.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ontario has recorded 616,051 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 599,979 recoveries and 9,993 deaths – two of which were reported in the last 24 hours.
WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES?
Most of the cases reported by the province on Saturday were found in Simcoe Muskoka (107), Toronto (97), and Windsor-Essex (82).
Other areas with relatively high case numbers reported today include York Region (48), Peel Region (47), Ottawa (44), Sudbury (43), Algoma (38), and Kingston (33).
UPDATE ON COVID-19 VACCINATIONS
Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a tweet published Saturday that nearly 89.4 per cent of all Ontarians over the age of 12 have one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Close to 86.3 per cent have two doses and are considered to be fully vaccinated.
Throughout the province’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, 22,895,217 needles have gone into arms across Ontario.
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.
Health experts have said the number of COVID-19 infections identified in fully vaccinated individuals will naturally increase as more people get both of their shots.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.