Ontario reports 511 new COVID-19 cases, 7-day average continues to drop

TORONTO -

Ontario is reporting 511 new COVID-19 cases on Monday as the seven-day average of daily infections continues to drop.

This marks the second day in a row in which the province has logged fewer than 600 infections.

The province logged 580 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, 704 on Saturday, 668 on Friday and 647 on Thursday.

The seven-day average of daily infections now stands at about 586, a significant decrease from the previous week in which the average was 621.

With 23,667 COVID-19 tests processed in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says that the province’s positivity rate is now about two per cent.

There have been 9,754 deaths related to COVID-19 in Ontario since the pandemic began, with two of those deaths identified in the last 24 hours.

As of Monday there are 159 patients being treated for the disease in Ontario intensive care units. At least 104 of those patients are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.

Officials say that not all hospitals report COVID-19 data over the weekend.

The numbers come about an hour after the Ontario government laid out its intention in its throne speech to spend the next eight months prioritizing COVID-19 economic recovery and shoring up the health-care and long-term care systems.

The “ultimate goal,” Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell said, is to avoid future lockdowns. The speech also hinted that if further public health measures are needed they should be localized and targeted.

WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES?

According to the province’s epidemiology report, there are 85 COVID-19 cases in Toronto, 88 in Peel Region, 46 in Ottawa and 30 in York Region.

Other municipalities reporting case counts in the double digits include Windsor-Essex (29), Hamilton (26), Durham (25), Niagara (23), Middlesex-London (20), Eastern Ontario (19), Halton (15), Waterloo (11), Southwestern Ontario (11) and Huron (10).

The province has reported an additional 146 COVID-19 cases in Ontario schools. Of those caess, 133 were in students.

Five schools have been closed as a result of COVID-19.

Officials also identified 18 new infections in child-care facilities. Eighteen facilities are closed.

There were 49 new cases of the Delta variant identified in lab-confirmed tests in the last 24-hour period.

The province has not disclosed how many cases today involve those who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and fully immunized. Due to a technical issue, some vaccination data was not released.