Ontario reports more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for fourth straight day

TORONTO -- Ontario is reporting more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the fourth straight day.

Health officials confirmed 1,087 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, which is a decrease from the 1,228 new infections logged on Saturday.

The province also logged an additional 13 deaths on Sunday, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related fatalities since the pandemic began to 6,861.

Four of the deaths reported on Sunday are residents in long-term care homes.

The number of COVID-19 tests completed in the previous 24-hour period also declined, which pushed Ontario's positivity rate up from Saturday to 2.7 per cent.

The province deemed 1,140 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Sunday, bringing Ontario's number of recovered patients up to 275,854.

Officials reported that at least 660 people are currently in hospital due to COVID-19, including 277 who are in intensive care, and 181 who are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.

Sunday's new report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 293,086, including deaths and recoveries.

More than 17,000 test specimens are currently under investigation.

Most of the new cases reported on Sunday were found in areas of the province still under a stay-at-home order and full lockdown.

Officials reported 344 new cases in Toronto, 156 in Peel and 122 in York Region on Sunday.

Variants in Ontario

Officials confirmed there are 391 cases of the U.K. variant, also known as B.1.1.7, and nine cases of the South African variant, also known as B.1.351, found in Ontario as of Sunday.

The province has also noted that one case of the Brazil variant, also known as P.1, was also found in Ontario.

A total of 235,922 people in Ontario have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and are now fully immunized against the disease. 

Backstory:

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.