Ontario reports another 135 new cases of COVID-19, four additional deaths
Health officials in Ontario are reporting 135 new cases of COVID-19 as well as four additional deaths linked to the disease.
Wednesday’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province to 548,609, including 537,975 recoveries and 9,300 deaths.
Labs processed 20,750 tests in the last 24 hours, yielding a positivity rate of 0.8 per cent, according to the Ministry of Health.
This marks the 13th day in a row in which case numbers in Ontario have remained below 200.
The rolling seven-day average for the number of cases reported across the province stands at 149. A week ago, that number was 164.
Right now, the province says there are 139 patients in hospital with COVID-19.
Where are the new COVID-19 cases?
Most of the cases reported by the province Wednesday were found in Toronto (26), Peel Region (16), and Durham Region (13).
Case counts in the double digits were also found in Waterloo (12) and Middlesex-London (10).
Ontario is currently in Step 3 of its reopening plan, which allows for the most lenient public health restrictions the province has seen in months.
Premier Doug Ford’s government has said that the final step of its reopening plan, which will see the lifting of virtually all remaining public health restrictions, can’t begin until at least 80 per cent of those 12 and older have been partially vaccinated and 75 per cent have been fully vaccinated.
However, during a briefing on Tuesday, Ontario’s top doctor said that the province needs to get 90 per cent of eligible residents fully vaccinated to account for the risk of the Delta variant.
“Certainly I'd love Ontario to have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. The modelling, though, tells us that once we're at around 90 per cent of the eligible population immunized that the risk of Delta will be less for us,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said.
517 more cases of COVID-19 variants of concern confirmed
Labs in Ontario confirmed 517 more cases of COVID-19 variants of concern Tuesday.
At least 353 of those cases are of the Delta variant B.1.617.2, which brings the case total to 3,693.
Ninety-nine are of the Alpha variant B.1.1.7. There are 144,922 confirmed cases of that strain in the province.
Another 58 cases were of the Gamma variant P.1, which pushes the case total to 5,027.
Seven cases of the Beta variant B.1.351 were also confirmed. There are 1,474 cases of that mutation in Ontario.
Update on COVID-19 vaccines
Clinics administered 140,491 doses of COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, raising the total number of doses administered throughout the province’s vaccination campaign to 18,429,003.
That number includes 8,165,247 people who have received both doses and are considered to be fully vaccinated.
With files from CP24's Chris Fox.
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
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris where man threatens to blow himself up: French media
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.