Ontario reports lowest COVID-19 positivity rate since end of February
Ontario reports lowest COVID-19 positivity rate since end of February
Ontario is reporting another 13 deaths related to COVID-19 as the positivity rate in the province continues to slowly decline.
On Saturday, officials said that just over 12,000 PCR tests have yielded a positivity rate of about 8.9 per cent. This is the lowest positivity rate the province has seen since the end of February.
The majority of Ontario residents cannot be properly tested for COVID-19 due to restrictions put in place by the government.
Wastewater data provided by the province’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table appears to show a continued decline in infection in most regions, although northern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area appear to be seeing a small uptick.
Twelve of the 13 COVID-19 deaths have occurred over the last month while the remaining case was added to the cumulative total due to data catchup.
In total, 13,159 people have lost their lives after contracting the disease.
Officials say there are 1,116 people in hospital with the novel coronavirus, including 160 in intensive care.
Just under half of ICU patients are being treated for COVID-19 while the remaining patients tested positive after being admitted for other ailments.
Nearly 39 per cent of all hospitalizations are the direct result of a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ontario has logged 1,294,447 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Brown campaign accuses Conservative party of acting in favour of Poilievre after disqualification from leadership race
Patrick Brown has been disqualified from the federal Conservative leadership race, after ballots have already begun to be mailed out, and his campaign is fighting back against what it calls anonymous allegations.

'Most stressful experience': Express Entry draws resume, but long waits take toll
Canada's immigration department is restarting all Express Entry draws for immigration applications Wednesday, after pausing the program 18 months ago during the pandemic.
Woman who was set on fire on Toronto bus has died, police confirm
A woman who was set on fire while on a Toronto bus in a random attack last month has died, police say.
Parents of boy, 2, among dead at Fourth of July parade shooting
Aiden McCarthy's photo was shared across Chicago-area social media groups in the hours after the July 4 parade shooting in Highland Park, accompanied by pleas to help identify the 2-year-old who had been found at the scene bloodied and alone and to reunite him with his family. On Tuesday, friends and authorities confirmed that the boy's parents, Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, were among seven people killed in the tragedy.
'We're all really shaken up': Father recounts reuniting with missing daughter as U.S. man is charged
The father of the Edmonton girl who was missing for nine days said he was getting ready to post another update on Facebook last Saturday when police knocked on his door.
Religious group members charged over alleged murder of 8-year-old girl in Australia
Australian authorities have charged 12 members of a religious group with the alleged murder of an 8-year-old girl, police said in a statement Tuesday.
Jayland Walker was handcuffed when his body arrived at the medical examiner's office: autopsy report
Jayland Walker was handcuffed behind his back when his body arrived at the coroner's office to be processed as part of the investigation into the officers who shot and killed him in Akron last week, according to a medical examiner's report that was reviewed by CNN.
Boris Johnson vows to stay on despite top tier resignations
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he plans to stay in power despite the resignations of two top Cabinet ministers and a slew of more junior officials.
Amanda Todd case: 'Pornographic' Facebook image reported to police, high school friend testifies
A high school friend of B.C. teen Amanda Todd has testified he took action when he saw what he described as a “pornographic” picture of her on Facebook in November 2011.