Ontario reports highest COVID-19 positivity rate since late January at nearly 18 per cent
Ontario’s test positivity rate for COVID-19 jumped to nearly 18 per cent on Monday, according to provincial data.
Health officials said that just over 6,200 PCR tests were processed in the last 24-hour period, marking the lowest number of tests processed in labs since last Monday.
This yielded a positivity rate of about 17.9 per cent, the Ministry of Health said.
The last time the positivity rate was this high in Ontario was in late January.
An additional 1,741 people tested positive for COVID-19 Monday, however, it’s important to note that Ontario continues to implement testing restrictions and this number is an underestimation as a result.
Wastewater data, provided by Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Table, appears to confirm this slight increase in infection. In nearly every region in the province the concentration of the disease in wastewaters has started to rise.
Four additional deaths were also confirmed Monday. Three of the deaths occurred over the last month while the remaining death was added to the cumulative tally following a data cleaning.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 12,405 people have died after contracting COVID-19.
The number of people hospitalized with the disease has increased slightly from the day before, however, some hospitals do not report complete COVID-19 data on the weekend.
According to the province, there are at least 655 people being treated for the novel coronavirus in Ontario hospitals, including 124 in intensive care.
No further vaccination breakdown was provided for hospitalizations.
In total, there have been 1,115,046 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario.
Background
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

Speaker's Nazi veteran invite 'profoundly embarrassing' Trudeau says, as Rota faces calls to resign
Tensions flared in the Commons on Monday over opposition calls for House Speaker Anthony Rota to resign after apologizing to Parliament for inviting, recognizing and leading the chamber in a standing ovation for a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War.
Poster advertising 'whites-only' children's playtime sparks outrage in B.C. community
Police have launched an investigation into a poster inviting "proud parents of European children" to participate in racially segregated playtime in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Canadian air force investigating 'inappropriate and unapproved' call sign broadcast on U.K. flight
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is investigating an ‘inappropriate and unapproved’ call sign that was transmitted electronically from one of its aircraft on Monday.
'Deeply hurtful': Polish ambassador condemns Nazi veteran’s invitation to Canada’s Parliament
Polish ambassador to Canada says House Speaker Anthony Rota's apology doesn’t go far enough after a Nazi veteran was honoured in the House of Commons last Friday.
7 candidates have qualified for the 2nd Republican presidential debate. Here's who missed the cut
The field for the second Republican presidential debate will be smaller than the first.
Vaccination during pregnancy safe, effective and recommended, CMAJ says
The most up-to-date guidelines from the Canadian Medical Association Journal recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who is pregnant in order to reduce the risk of serious illness to themselves and the children they carry.
Canadian Sikhs stage protests against Indian government over murder
Canadian Sikhs staged small protests outside India's diplomatic missions on Monday, a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there may be a link between New Delhi and the murder of a Sikh separatist advocate in British Columbia.
An airsoft pistol, a machete, and 2 knives: Jury learns of items seized in pickup truck used during attack on a London, Ont. family
The trial of Nathaniel Veltman, 22, continued in Windsor for his actions on June 6, 2021 that killed four people and seriously injured a fifth person. In court on Monday, two forensic identification officers with the London Police Service testified.
Canada approves Ebola virus vaccine for adults exposed to the deadly disease
Canada has approved a vaccine to prevent Ebola in non-pregnant and otherwise healthy adults aged 18 and older.