Ontario reports 486 new COVID-19 cases and 5 more deaths
Ontario is reporting 486 new COVID-19 cases, marking the sixth day in a row in which the daily case count was below 500.
The majority of the new cases are in those who are not fully vaccinated or who have an unknown vaccination status.
The province said that only 157 of the cases reported Saturday were in people who have received both shots.
Saturday’s case count is a slight decrease from the 496 infections reported on Friday, but an increase from the 417 cases reported Thursday and 306 confirmed Wednesday.
The seven-day average of daily COVID-19 cases now stands at about 441, down from 537 the previous week.
With just over 32,600 tests processed in the last 24-hour period, the Ministry of Health says that the province’s positivity rate is about 1.7 per cent.
Five additional deaths were reported on Saturday, bringing Ontario’s death tally since the beginning of the pandemic to 9,814.
There are at least 242 people being treated for COVID-19 in Ontario hospitals, with 164 of those patients in intensive care.
Of those in the ICU, 146 are either not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
The new cases come as Ontario moves to further reopen the economy.
A week ago, the province lifted all capacity restrictions at select large indoor and outdoor venues used for sport games, concerts and events. Premier Doug Ford also confirmed Friday that officials will be releasing a strategy to exit Step 3 of Ontario’s reopening plan sometime next week.
“The work began months ago and we're finalizing the plan now, including where and when we may need to reapply measures should they be required to stop a surge in transmission,” Ford told reporters on Friday.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said he wants to wait until a few weeks after Thanksgiving before moving forward to ensure there isn’t a spike in cases.
Since the beginning of the pandemic Ontario has logged 594,419 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES?
Sixteen public health units in Ontario are reporting more than 10 new COVID-19 cases, according to the province’s epidemiology report.
Those reporting more than 30 infections include Toronto (88), Peel Region (60), Windsor-Essex (40) and York Region (35).
Of Saturday’s infections, 138 were in people under the age of 20.
There were 151 infections reported in people between the ages of 20 and 39, and 126 infections in people between the ages of 40 and 59.
Ontario reported 66 COVID-19 cases in people over the age of 60.
Officials also logged an additional 54 cases of the Delta variant in lab-confirmed COVID-19 tests, bringing the total to 19,645.
More than 10.8 million people have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are considered fully vaccinated.
A little more than 30,300 doses were administered in Ontario in the last 24-hour period.
Ontario is slowly approaching its goal of vaccinating 90 per cent of the eligible population. As of Saturday, nearly 84 per cent of individuals aged 12 and up are fully vaccinated with two doses.
About 87.4 per cent of eligible Ontarians have received at least one dose.
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
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.