Ontario reports more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for second day straight
Ontario is reporting more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the second straight day as the number of infections in the province continues to rise.
Health officials confirmed 1,053 new COVID-19 cases in Ontario today, which is up slight from the 1,031 infections on Friday.
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.
Saturday's case count is the highest in a single day since May 29, when 1,057 infections were reported.
With 32,268 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province stands at about 3.5 per cent.
Ontario's rolling seven-day average of COVID-19 cases now stands at 895, up from 729 at this point last week.
As of Saturday, Ontario had confirmed 12 cases of the Omicron variant in the province. The latest case is in a person from Hamilton who recently returned to the country after a trip to South Africa.
There were eight additional COVID-19-related deaths, pushing the total number of fatalities to 10,024. The Ministry of Health says seven of those deaths occured last month.
Of the cases on Saturday, 499 are in fully vaccinated people, 469 in unvaccinated people, 25 have received one dose and 60 have an unknown vaccination status.
There were 139 new COVID-19 cases in Toronto, 101 new infections in Simcoe-Muskoka, 54 in York Region and Windsor-Essex, 45 in Middlesex-London, 30 in Halton Region and 29 in Durham Region.
There are currently 284 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario. Of those, 220 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 64 are fully vaccinated, the government says.
There are currently at least 160 people being treated for COVID-19 in Ontario intensive care units.
Health officials have warned for months that cases would increase in the winter months as more people gather indoors.
"Sadly, all modelling would predict this would slowly, steadily rise and increase over the coming months, including January and February," Chief Medical Officer of Heath Dr. Kieran Moore said in November.
He asked people to remain cautious until the weather warms up in the spring and more people become eligible for third vaccine doses to protect against COVID-19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.