TORONTO -- Ontario has reported a slight increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases but infections continue to trend downward in the province.

Health officials reported 251 new cases of the disease on Wednesday, bringing the provincial total to 31,341. 

There were also 11 additional deaths in the past 24 hour period, bringing the total to 2,475. 

The slight increase comes after health officials confirmed an additional 230 cases on Tuesday, which was the lowest number of new infections in over 10 weeks. On Monday, the province recorded 243 new cases.

In a Tweet on Tuesday, Health Minister Christine Elliott called the province’s downward trend "very promising."

She also highlighted the fact that there are now more resolved cases than new cases of the novel coronavirus reported daily. On Wednesday, Ontario recorded a surge in resolved cases, which now account for 81 per cent of all infections. 

According to Wednesday's epidemiologic summary, 1,719 people 80 years of age or older have died as a result of the virus. Another 651 deaths are in people between the ages of 60 and 79.

The number of deceased patients between the ages of 40 and 59 remains unchanged at 94. The number of deaths in people between the ages of 20 and 39 rose by one in the past 24 hours to 11. 

To this date, there have been no deaths recorded in people 19 years of age or younger.

There are currently 580 patients in hospital, including 118 who are being treated in intensive care units. The overall number of people in hospital continues to trend downward in the province. 

COVID-19 testing in Ontario

The province's completed 19,941 COVID-19 tests in the last 24-hour period.

In total, the province has conducted more than 900,339 tests for the novel coronavirus. There are currently 13,397 tests under investigation.

Quick facts on all COVID-19 patients in Ontario:

  • Public health units in the Greater Toronto Area account for 67.4 per cent of all cases.
  • 44.9 per cent of all patients in the province are male and 54.3 per cent are female.
  • 4.1 per cent of all patients are 19 years of age or younger.
  • 27.6 per cent of all patients are between the ages of 20 and 39.
  • 30.6 per cent of all patients are between the ages of 40 and 59.
  • 19.6 per cent of all patients are between the ages of 60 and 79.
  • 18 per cent of all patients are 80 years of age or older.
  • 5.1 per cent of all patients had travelled in the 14 days prior to becoming ill.
  • 62.9 per cent of all patients had close contact with a previously confirmed case or were "outbreak-associated."
  • 21.6 per cent of all patients had “no known epidemiological link”
  • 10.4 per cent of all patients had exposure information listed as "missing or unknown."