TORONTO -- Ontario is reporting a rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases after several days of infection numbers below the 800 mark.
Provincial health officials logged 805 new infections of the novel coronavirus on Saturday after four days of cases numbers in the 700s.
The province had reported 712 cases on Friday, 783 on Thursday, 721 on Wednesday and 746 on Tuesday. On Monday, health officials reported 807 new cases in Ontario.
The total number of lab-confirmed infections in the province is now 63,713, including deaths and recoveries.
Health officials reported on Saturday that ten more people have died due to COVID-19, including five residents of long-term care homes.
On Friday, the province confirmed that nine people died due to the disease. Five of those patients were also residents of long-term care homes.
There were nine deaths reported this past Tuesday, but prior to that it had been months since the fatality number had been that high. The province’s death toll is now 3,041.
There were 682 more cases considered to be resolved by officials on Saturday. The province now has a total of 54,686 recovered patients.
There are 278 people being treated for COVID-19 in Ontario hospitals. Of those patients, 72 are in the intensive care unit and 42 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
Where are the new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario?
Most of the new infections continue to be found in Ontario’s four COVID-19 hotspots.
Of the new cases reported on Saturday, 374 were in Toronto, 107 were in Peel Region, 93 were in York Region and 70 were in Ottawa.
These four hotspots have been pulled back to a modified version of Stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan. Indoor dining, gyms, casinos and cinemas have all been ordered to close in these areas for at least 28 days.
On Saturday, other regions of the province also reported an increase in cases. Durham Region reported 30 new cases, Halton Region reported 25 new cases, and Waterloo reported 19 new cases.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said on Saturday that more than 44,722 tests were conducted in the last-recorded 24-hour period.
There are 33,630 tests that current remain under investigation in the province.