Ontario reports more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for first time in six months
Ontario health officials are reporting more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time since late spring.
The province confirmed 1,031 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday. The last time the province reported more than 1,000 new cases in a single day was on May 30 when 1,033 new cases were logged.
This past week, officials reported 788 new cases on Monday, 687 new cases on Tuesday, 780 new cases on Wednesday and 949 new cases on Thursday.
Ontario’s rolling seven-day average now stands at 866, up from 711 at this point last week.
With 39,748 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province stands at about 2.9 per cent.
Of the new infections reported Friday, 589 cases involved people who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown. The remaining 442 infections involved people who are fully vaccinated.
Health experts have said that the number of infections in fully vaccinated individuals will rise as more people get the vaccine.
The province recorded four more deaths on Friday, bringing the total death tally in the province to 10,016.
There are currently at least 146 people being treated for COVID-19 in Ontario intensive care units. Health Minister Christine Elliott says that of those patients, 119 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 27 are fully vaccinated.
The province deemed 742 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Friday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 604,027.
Today’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 621,260, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO?
In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 133 new cases in Toronto, 60 new cases in Peel Region, 56 new cases in York Region, 44 new cases in Durham Region and 27 new cases in Halton Region.
Officials reported 106 new cases in Simcoe Muskoka, 68 new cases in Windsor-Essex, 59 new cases in the Sudbury area, 58 new cases in Ottawa, and 47 new cases in Hamilton. All other regions of the province had fewer than 40 new cases each.
According to the province’s epidemiology report, of the 1,031 new infections reported on Friday, 273 cases were identified in children under the age of 12.
The province also recorded 87 cases in youth between the ages of 12 and 19 and another 290 cases in people between the ages of 20 and 39.
As well, officials found 247 cases in people between the ages of 40 and 59, 121 cases in people between the ages of 60 and 79 and 15 cases in people over the age of 80.
On Friday, officials reported 172 new cases in Ontario schools, including 152 cases involving students and 18 cases involving staff. Officials did not release information about the remaining two cases.
The province reported that 792 out of 4,844 schools have at least one case of COVID-19. Currently, nine schools are closed due to outbreaks.
As of Friday, 11 cases of the new Omicron variant have been identified in Ontario. The latest case was reported in Durham Region.
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. Health experts have said the number of COVID-19 infections identified in fully vaccinated individuals will naturally increase as more people get both of their shots.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
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.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.