Ontario reports fewer than 450 new COVID-19 cases
Ontario health officials are reporting fewer than 450 new cases of COVID-19 after several days of case counts just above the 500 mark.
The province confirmed 447 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, which comes after officials reported 590 on Thursday, 574 on Friday, 502 on Saturday and 530 on Sunday.
Ontario’s rolling seven-day average now stands at 503, down from 735 at this point last week.
Speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said that the province may see daily case counts below 400 in "the next day or so."
"This is really exciting," he said. "Our numbers continue to move in the right direction."
With 13,588 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province rose from 2.6 on Sunday to 2.8 per cent on Monday.
The province also reported that four more people have died due to COVID-19 in the previous 24-hour period, bringing the total number of deaths to 8,961.
There are currently 384 people in hospital due to the disease, but the province has noted that number is an underestimate as not all hospitals reported their data this past weekend. At least 409 patients are in intensive care and 268 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
Williams added that the number of ICU patients is actually less than 400 if officials exclude patients from Manitoba being treated in the province's hospitals.
The province deemed 670 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Monday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 525,795.
Monday’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 540,130, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO
Many of the new COVID-19 cases reported are concentrated in hot spot regions in the Greater Toronto Area. Officials reported 110 new cases in Toronto, 61 new cases in Peel Region, 29 new cases in Durham Region and 11 new cases in York Region.
The province confirmed an additional 458 new cases of B.1.1.7 (U.K. variant) in Ontario on Monday. The total case count for the strain now stands at 139,940.
Officials identified no new cases of B.1.351 (South African variant), and so the total case count in the province remained at 1,137.
In addition, the province added two more cases of P.1 (Brazilian variant), which brings its total number of cases to 4,135.
Ontario does not currently report how many cases of the B.1.617 variant, originally found in India, are found in the province.
Ontario entered the first step of its reopening plan on Friday, allowing patios and some non-essential retail to open for the first time in months.
“You can see now case numbers are crumbling, including the Delta variant,” infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch told CP24 on Monday.
“Even though the Delta variant is spreading and taking over as a more dominant variant it is still also fair to say that its numbers are going down. Will that be the case moving forward? I don’t know but currently that is what is happening.”
MORE THAN 1.8M PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED IN ONTARIO
The province reports that 1,894,320 people in Ontario have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are now considered vaccinated against the disease.
In the last 24-hour period, officials said 135,574 doses of the vaccine were administered to Ontario residents.
Just over 11.3 million vaccine doses have been administered in the province since the rollout began earlier this year.
More Ontario residents were able to book an accelerated second dose of COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday, including some people who live in hot spot regions where the Delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading, as well as people who took a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
B.C. man wants homes for thousands of books he soon won't be able to read
In the 10 years since John William started to lose his vision, he's been finding new ways to enjoy his vast personal library.
Israel closes Gaza crossing after Hamas attack and vows military operation 'in the very near future'
Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering badly needed humanitarian aid for Gaza on Sunday after Hamas militants attacked it, reportedly wounding several Israelis, while the defense minister warned of "a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza."
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
opinion You don't need to be an influencer to earn income from social media
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
Denial and uncertainty are looming over a Biden-Trump rematch 6 months out from U.S. Election Day
Exactly six months before Election Day, Biden and Trump are locked in the first contest in 112 years with a current and former president competing for the White House. It's a race that is at once deeply entrenched and highly in flux as many voters are only just beginning to embrace the reality of the 2024 campaign.
Bombarded with spam texts? Stats show the problem is getting worse in Canada
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.
William Shatner says he would consider 'Star Trek' return: 'Here comes Captain Kirk!'
The Montreal-born actor, famed for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," says he is open to reprising the iconic role in the sci-fi franchise as long as the storytelling is stellar.