Ontario reports 573 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths
Health officials in Ontario are reporting 573 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 more deaths linked to the disease.
The new infections mark a slight decrease from the 587 cases reported on Thursday. On Wednesday, 476 cases were logged and on Tuesday, there were 429.
The seven-day rolling average now stands at 551, a significant drop from the 597 cases reported last week.
With more than 37,000 tests processed over the last 24 hours, Ontario health officials say the province’s positivity rate is 1.8 per cent.
Of the cases reported on Friday, 381 are in people who are not vaccinated, or have an unknown vaccination status, and 192 are in people who are fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health.
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says 271 patients are being treated for COVID-19 in provincial hospitals, 228 of which are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status, and 43 are fully vaccinated.
In the intensive care unit (ICU), 154 patients have COVID-19. Of those in the ICU, 139 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status, and 15 are fully vaccinated.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore outlined guidelines for gathering on Thanksgiving and Halloween on Thursday.
He said indoor gatherings with people from outside your household are allowed this year, as long as they follow the current provincial gathering limits.
Ontario's gathering limits are currently 100 outdoors and 25 indoors.
"We are able to gather together with friends and family for Thanksgiving this year provided public health rules are followed," Dr. Moore said Thursday.
For Halloween, Dr. Moore said trick-or-treating is safe to go ahead.
WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES?
The majority of the province’s COVID-19 cases are in the Greater Toronto Area.
In Toronto, there are 104 new COVID-19 cases. Peel logged 80 new infections and York reported 41.
In all other Ontario municipalities, excluding Windsor-Essex (35) and Ottawa (32), there are fewer than 30 new cases of the virus.
According to provincial data, 126 COVID-19 cases were found at schools in Ontario, with 114 of those cases in students. Nine schools are currently closed due to the virus.
In Ontario, nearly 87 per cent of the eligible population is vaccinated with one dose of a vaccine and almost 82 per cent are now fully protected from COVID-19.
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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.