Ontario reports dip in COVID-19 cases after four days above 150 mark
After four straight days of new COVID-19 case counts above 150, the number of infections in Ontario has dipped yet again.
On Monday, health officials reported 119 new cases of COVID-19, as well as three additional deaths related to the disease.
The new infections bring the seven-day rolling average of daily cases to about 157, up slightly from 152 the previous week.
Ontario reported 172 cases on Sunday, 170 on Saturday, 192 on Friday and 185 on Thursday.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch told CP24 on Monday that a rise in cases isn’t unexpected as restrictions are eased in Ontario.
"I think whenever you see a rise in cases, whenever you see a bump in the seven-day average, you can never ignore it. It is important to watch obviously [but] you don't panic, you don't have to get too, too, too concerned just yet but you still have to watch it and take it seriously," he said.
"It is probably a real trend, it probably is. I think the question is how big will it get?"
Ontario moved to Step 3 of the province’s reopening plan on July 16, allowing indoor dining to return and facilities like movie theatres and gyms to open their doors.
While cases appeared to be rising for a few days, the number of patients in Ontario’s intensive care units (ICU) continues to decline.
The Ministry of Health says there are 95 people being treated for the disease in the province’s ICUs. However, that number rises to 131 when patients who are still being treated for the after effects of COVID-19 are taken into account.
Seventy-nine are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
The total number of lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Ontario now stands at 549,447, including 9,316 deaths and 538,702 recoveries.
According to the Ministry of Health, with just over 11,900 COVID-19 tests processed in the last 24-hour period, the positivity rate in Ontario now stands at about one per cent.
WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES?
Of the new cases reported on Monday, 22 were located in Toronto, while 15 were in Hamilton, 14 in Waterloo and 13 in Peel Region.
Thirteen public health units reported no cases of COVID-19 while 15 reported fewer than five new infections.
Nineteen additional cases of the Alpha B.1.1.7. variant were identified in lab-positive tests across Ontario in the last 24-hour period. This brings the total number of cases to 145,405.
There were also three more cases of the Delta B.1.617 variant identified in the province.
MORE THAN 8.6 MILLION PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED
In the last 24-hour period, the province administered 65,920 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
This brings the total number of shots into arms to just over 19 million.
There are 8,625,932 people who have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine and are considered fully vaccinated.
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
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.