TORONTO -- Ontario health officials recorded 344 new cases of COVID-19 Friday morning, an increase of 1.2 per cent over the previous day, as well as 15 deaths.

This brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in the province to 29,747, including 2,372 deaths and 23,583 resolved cases.

This is the third straight day the province has recorded more than 300 cases, down from the more than 400 cases reported on Monday and Tuesday.

At least 4,890 of all confirmed COVID-19 cases are among Ontario's health-care workers.

The number of recorded deaths is down from the 45 reported Thursday, the highest number of deceased patients in a single day since May 29.

Friday’s epidemiological summary shows that 1,646 people 80 years of age or older have died as a result of the novel coronavirus, the hardest hit age group since the start of the pandemic in mid-January. There have been 623 deaths in people between the ages of 60 and 79.

Ninety-three other deceased patients in the province were between the ages of 40 and 59 and 10 people were between the ages of 20 and 39.

There have been no deaths recorded in people 19 years of age or younger.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are down slightly since Thursday’s report. There are currently 749 people in hospital, a decrease of 27 patients. Of those 749 in hospital, 118 patients are being treated in an intensive care unit, 94 of which are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator. 

The province conducted 22,730 tests for the virus in the last 24-hour period, the second day in a row that more than 20,000 tests have been performed.

The number of tests processed in a single day continues to climb from the 17,537 tests reported on Wednesday and the 15,244 reported on Tuesday.

Overall, the province has completed 809,053 tests since the pandemic began with 12,246 samples currently under investigation.

Quick facts on all COVID-19 patients in Ontario:

  • 44.4 per cent of all patients in the province are male and 54.8 per cent are female.
  • 3.8 per cent of all patients are 19 years of age or younger.
  • 26.8 per cent of all patients are between the ages of 20 and 39.
  • 30.8 per cent of all patients are between the ages of 40 and 59.
  • 19.9 per cent of all patients are between the ages of 60 and 79.
  • 18.7 per cent of all patients are 80 years of age or older.
  • Public health units in the Greater Toronto Area account for 66.6 per cent of all cases.
  • 5.3 per cent of all patients had travelled in the 14 days prior to becoming ill.
  • 61.8 per cent of all patients had close contact with a previously confirmed case or were "outbreak-associated."
  • 20.8 per cent of all patients had “no known epidemiological link”
  • 12.0 per cent of all patients had exposure information listed as "missing or unknown."