TORONTO -- The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ontario reached a nearly three-month low on Monday morning, with 161 new infections reported.

Monday’s report brings the total number of confirmed cases in the province to 33,637 – a 0.5 per cent increase over Sunday’s total, when 175 new lab-confirmed cases were added.

This is the eighth time in the last nine days in which the ministry of health has reported fewer than 200 new daily infections.

“With 214 more resolved, there are 53 fewer active cases in the province as the persistent decrease in active cases continues,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a tweet published on Monday.

The news comes as sources confirmed to CTV News Toronto that Toronto and Peel Region will be allowed to enter Stage 2 of Ontario's restart phase on Wednesday. These two regions have been held back from reopening due to the relatively high number of new cases of COVID-19 reported in those areas.

Windsor-Essex will remain in Stage 1 for at least another week as a result of an outbreak among migrant workers.

Sixty-nine per cent of the new cases confirmed Monday were reported in Toronto, Windsor-Essex and Peel Region.

Meanwhile, most of the province’s 34 public health units reported fewer than five new cases of COVID-19 Monday morning, with several regions reporting no new cases at all.

Of all the lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, there are 28,933 resolved cases and 2,609 deaths, three of which occurred in the last 24-hour period.

COVID-19 testing in Ontario

Testing for COVID-19 in Ontario remains high with 21,900 tests completed since Sunday.

Close to 1.2 million tests for the virus have been completed following the outbreak in mid-January. However, it’s worth noting that this number is representative of the total number of tests completed and not the total number of people tested, meaning one person may have been tested multiple times.

There are currently 10,027 tests under investigation. 

Number of hospitalizations falls to 'new lows'

The number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 has dipped below 300 for the first time in weeks.

There are currently 265 patients in hospital being treated for the virus, including 76 who are in an intensive care unit. Most of the patients in the ICU are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator (58).

"Hospitalizations have declined to new lows, with 21 fewer #COVID19-confirmed patients currently in hospital. ICU admissions also declined 10," Elliott said in a tweet.

Quick facts on all COVID-19 patients in Ontario:

  • To date, 18,088 patients in the province are female and 15,275 are male
  • 1,537 patients are 19 years of age or younger
  • 9,558 patients are between the ages of 20 and 39
  • 10,271 patients are between the ages of 40 and 59
  • 6,479 patients are between the ages of 60 and 79
  • 5,782 patients are 80 years of age or older