Ontario reports 653 more cases of COVID-19, six additional deaths
Health officials in Ontario are reporting another 653 cases of COVID-19 Sunday as well as six additional deaths related to the disease.
Of the cases recorded today, 499 involve individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 154 are in fully vaccinated individuals.
There are 198 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 177 people in the ICU, though the vaccination status of those hospitalized was not released by the province.
Sunday’s report brings the province’s seven-day average for the number of cases logged to 620. A week ago today that number was 709.
So far, Ontario has seen 583,928 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. That number includes 568,633 resolved cases and 9,704 deaths – six of which were reported in the last 24 hours although three occurred last month.
With 31,063 tests processed since yesterday, the Ministry of Health says that Ontario’s COVID-19 positivity rate is two per cent.
Where are the new COVID-19 cases?
Most of the cases reported by the province on Sunday were found in Toronto (109), Ottawa (71), and Hamilton (66).
Case counts in the double digits were also recorded in Peel Region (55), Halton Region (42), Windsor-Essex (42), and York Region (41).
Update on COVID-19 variants of concern
Labs confirmed 246 additional cases of the COVID-19 variant B.1.617.2 known as Delta.
This brings the total number of lab-confirmed infections to 18,260.
Moreover, four more cases of the Alpha variant B.11.7 were also confirmed following genomic sequencing, pushing the case total to 146,461.
No new cases of the Gamma variant P.1 or Beta variant B.1.351 were found in the last 24-hour period.
COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario
As of today, 80.2 per cent of eligible Ontarians have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are considered to be fully vaccinated, Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a tweet.
Elliott also noted that 85.8 per cent of the province’s eligible population now has at least one dose and that 21,651,850 needles have gone into arms during Ontario’s 10-month vaccination campaign.
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
Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
Steve Buscemi punched in the face while walking in N.Y.C.
Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi has been treated for injuries after being punched in the face while walking in New York City.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
opinion Harry and Meghan's Nigerian adventure: traditional attire to warm welcomes
For her latest column on CTVNews.ca, royal commentator Afua Hagan writes about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent visit to Nigeria, calling it a 'deeply meaningful campaign' that was about aligning their ongoing efforts to foster mental-health awareness and promoting the Invictus Games.
Ontario's need for nurses, PSWs to top 33K and 50K by 2032: document
Ontario will need 33,200 more nurses and 50,853 more personal support workers by 2032, the government projects — figures it tried to keep secret but were obtained by The Canadian Press.
No concert ticket? No problem — Swifties can still gather at 'Taylgate' in Toronto
Whether you were lucky to nab tickets to one of Taylor Swift's six sold-out Toronto concerts in November or not, a new 'fan experience' hopes to get you into the party spirit.
Entangled North Atlantic right whale spotted in Gulf of St. Lawrence
An endangered North Atlantic right whale has been spotted with gear entangled around its mouth in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.