Ontario reports fewer than 1,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations for first time since late December
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has fallen below 1,000 for the first time since late December, although health officials warn that not all hospitals report on the weekend.
According to provincial data, there are 842 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 281 patients in intensive care.
It is the first time since Dec. 30 that this number has dropped below 1,000.
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott noted on social media that “not all hospitals report on the weekend.”
The province has not released the breakdown of patients who are being treated primarily for COVID-19 or who tested positive after being admitted for unrelated ailments. No vaccination data for hospitalized patients was available.
An additional 10 deaths were also reported on Sunday, with nine occurring over the last month. The remaining death was added the cumulative count following a data cleanup, bringing the total number of people to die since the pandemic began in Ontario to 12,430.
Four of the deaths confirmed Sunday were in long-term care.
Health officials confirmed another 2,001 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, but that number continues to be an underestimation due to a lack of testing.
Of those cases, 33 were health-care workers and 62 were residents of long-term care.
The majority of infections were identified in the Greater Toronto Area. According to the provincial epidemiology report, there were 274 cases in Toronto, 163 in Peel Region and 133 in York Region.
Other municipalities that reported more than 100 new COVID-19 cases include Ottawa (161), Windsor-Essex (108), and Simcoe-Muskoka (107)
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
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Hamas is reviewing an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as possible Rafah offensive looms
Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a possible Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Russia renews attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector as Kyiv launches drones at southern Russia
Russia launched a barrage of missiles against Ukraine overnight, in attacks that appeared to target the country's energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Russia said its air defense systems had intercepted more than 60 Ukrainian drones over the southern Krasnodar region.