Ontario logs highest daily COVID-19 case count since beginning of September with more than 900 new infections
Ontario is reporting the highest COVID-19 case count seen since the beginning of September.
On Friday, the province logged 927 new cases of COVID-19.
The last time Ontario recorded a case count this high was on September 4 when 944 new cases were reported.
The new infections logged Friday represent a significant increase from the 748 new cases reported on Thursday, 591 cases reported on Wednesday and the 613 cases reported Tuesday.
The seven-day rolling average of daily COVID-19 cases now stands at about 711, a number that hasn't been seen since Sept. 20. A week ago, the seven-day average was 625.
With 33,901 tests processed in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the province's positivity rate is three per cent.
The province confirmed six more deaths linked to COVID-19 on Friday, which brings the total number of lab-confirmed deaths in Ontario to 9,991. Due to data cleaning, one death was added to the cumulative count from more than a month ago.
Of the 927 infections logged Friday, the Ministry of Health says that 467 were identified in individuals who were unvaccinated.
An additional 27 were found in people who were partially vaccinated and 378 were in people who are fully vaccinated. There are 55 people in Ontario with COVID-19 who have an unknown vaccination status.
Health officials have said the number of cases in vaccinated individuals will increase as more people get the shot.
Of the 268 COVID-19 patients in Ontario hospitals, Health Minister Christine Elliott said 221 cases are in people who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 47 cases are in people who are fully vaccinated.
Of the 140 people being treated in the ICU for COVID-19, 130 people are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and ten people are fully vaccinated, Elliott said.
WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO?
Most of the new cases were found in the Greater Toronto Area. Officials reported 129 new cases in Toronto, 54 new cases in Peel Region, 52 new cases in York Region and 41 new cases in Durham Region.
Officials also reported 62 new cases in Windsor-Essex, 73 new cases in Simcoe Muskoka, 53 new cases in Ottawa, 44 new cases in Waterloo, 46 new cases in Sudbury and 40 new cases in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox.
The remaining regions in Ontario logged under 30 new infections.
According to Ontario’s epidemiology report, 76 infections were found in youth between the ages of 12 and 19. Meanwhile, nearly 200 cases were reported in the five to 11 age group.
Children between the ages of five and 11 became eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine this week.
The majority of infections in Ontario were found in people between the ages of 20 and 59, with 485 cases logged.
In seniors 60 to 79, the province reported 107 new infections.
Nearly 89.2 per cent of eligible Ontarians have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 86.2 per cent have received two doses.
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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.