Ontario reports 669 people in hospital with COVID-19, eight more deaths

Ontario health officials are reporting 669 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 117 patients in intensive care.

The total number of people in hospital with the disease dropped slightly on Friday from the 670 hospitalizations reported on Thursday and the 722 reported on Wednesday.

The number of people in intensive care units across the province dropped from 119 the day before to 117.

Officials also reported eight more deaths due to COVID-19 that occurred over the past 30 days.

Since the start of the pandemic, 13,275 individuals have died due to the disease.

The province reported 888 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, but health officials have warned that number is an underestimate due to testing limitations and backlogs.

With 10,097 processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the province's positivity rate is about 7.3 per cent.

In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 198 new cases in Toronto, 78 new cases in Peel Region, 64 new cases in York Region, 59 new cases in Durham Region, and 39 new cases in Halton Region.

The province deemed 1,230 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Friday, bringing Ontario's number of recovered patients up to 1,283,417.

Today's report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 1,283,417.

The province reported 70 resident cases and 17 staff cases in long-term care settings across Ontario. Five of the eight deaths reported on Friday involved residents in long-term care.

Officials said that at least 86 long-term care homes are currently dealing with an outbreak.