Ontario reports fewer than 700 new COVID-19 cases for first time since October
Ontario health officials are reporting fewer than 700 new cases of COVID-19 for the first time in more than seven months.
The province confirmed 699 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, which comes after officials logged 916 cases on Monday.
The last time Ontario reported fewer than 699 cases was on Oct. 18, 2020 when officials reported 658 new cases of the disease.
Ontario’s rolling seven-day average now stands at 1,029, down from 1,693 at this point last week.
With 20,262 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate dropped from 4.3 per cent on Monday to 3.6 per cent on Tuesday.
Ontario also added nine COVID-19-related deaths in the previous 24-hour period, bringing the total number of fatalities to 8,766.
There are currently 804 people in hospital due to the disease. At least 583 of these patients are in intensive care and 335 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
The province deemed 1,568 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Tuesday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 511,703.
Tuesday’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 532,158, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO
Most of the new cases reported are concentrated in hot spot regions in the Greater Toronto Area. Officials reported 207 new cases in Toronto, 144 new cases in Peel Region, 50 new cases in Durham Region and 52 new cases in York Region.
The province confirmed an additional 762 new cases of B.1.1.7 (U.K. variant) in Ontario on Tuesday. The total case count for the strain now stands at 126,707.
Officials identified one new case of B.1.351 (South African variant), bringing the total case count in the province to 949.
In addition, the province added 45 more cases of P.1 (Brazilian variant), which brings its total number of cases to 2,867.
Ontario does not currently report how many cases of the B.1.617 variant, originally found in India, are found in the province.
MORE THAN 739K PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED IN ONTARIO
The province reports that 739,722 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 120,195 doses of the vaccine were administered to residents in the province. Officials have repeatedly said they have the capacity to give about 150,000 vaccines a day.
A total of 9,202,220 vaccine doses have been administered in Ontario since the rollout began earlier this year.
The City of Toronto says that more than 70 per cent of adults will have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of today.
In a news release, the city says that some 1,778,000 people over the age of 18 have had the shot since its vaccination campaign began in December.
“This milestone is evidence that residents have confidence in COVID19 vaccines & are doing their part to fight the pandemic,” Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said in a tweet.
The city went on to say there is a need to continue the vaccination “momentum” as the province has said that the rate of inoculation is a “key consideration” in the upcoming reopening plan.
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
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.