Ontario reports just under 300 new COVID-19 cases, 6 more deaths
Ontario is reporting just under 300 new COVID-19 cases along with six additional deaths related to the disease.
Health officials logged 296 new infections on Thursday, marking a jump from the 255 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.
This is the fourth day in a row in which the daily COVID-19 case count in Ontario has been below the 300 mark.
The seven-day rolling average of daily COVID-19 cases now stands at about 305, a significant decrease from the week before when the average was 410.
With just over 29,500 COVID-19 tests processed in the last 24-hour period, the Ministry of Health says the province’s positivity rate has declined to about 1.1 per cent.
The last time the positivity rate was this low was on Sept. 25.
According to the Ontario Hospital Association, the number of patients in intensive care with COVID-19 related critical illness has now dipped below 300, with 299 patients.
Of the cases reported on Thursday, 95 cases were in the Waterloo Region.
According to the province’s epidemiology report, there are 35 cases in Toronto, 20 in Peel Region, 19 in Hamilton, 17 in Ottawa, 16 in Durham Region and 14 in York Region.
This marks Toronto’s lowest single-day case count since Sept. 3.
All other public health units are reporting fewer than 10 new COVID-19 cases.
The total number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario now stands at 543,315, including deaths and recoveries.
The new cases come as the government announces Ontario is moving to Step 2 of its economic reopening plan two days early. This means that as of June 30, small gatherings of up to five people will now be allowed indoors and personal care services will be permitted to resume.
The province was originally scheduled to move into this stage on July 2.
More than 3.5 million people in Ontario have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are considered fully immunized.
In the last 24-hour period, the province has administered 225,188 doses of vaccine.
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
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.