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
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.