TORONTO -- Ontario is reporting more than 1,700 new COVID-19 infections Friday as the number of patients in intensive care climbs above 200 for the first time during the second wave.
The 1,780 cases represent a slight decrease over Thursday’s total when 1,824 cases were logged.
As of Friday morning, there are 674 patients in an Ontario hospital with COVID-19.
At least 207 of those patients are currently being treated in the ICU, up from the 195 patients reported a day earlier. Of those patients, 116 are currently breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
This marks the first time in the second wave of the pandemic that there are more than 200 patients in the ICU. The Ontario government has previously said that it becomes nearly impossible to treat non-COVID-19-related patients once there are more than 300 patients in intensive care.
Modelling released last month suggested that Ontario could cross that key threshold by mid-December.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario now stands at 123,526, including deaths and recoveries.
Twenty-five more deaths related to the novel coronavirus were recorded in the last 24 hours, pushing the province's COVID-19 death toll to 3,737.
Meanwhile, 1,553 more cases are now considered to be resolved. More than 100,000 people infected with COVID-19 have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic.
Where are the new COVID-19 cases?
Most of the new cases were recorded in Toronto and Peel Region with 633 and 433 infections added respectively.
Both regions are currently operating in the “grey zone” of the province’s colour coded COVID-19 framework, which forced the closure of most non-essential businesses nearly two weeks ago.
York Region is reporting 152 new cases Friday a day after the region’s top public health official said that he does not believe further restrictions are necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19. York Region is currently placed in the "red zone" which places a cap on indoor gatherings and limits a number of non-essential activities.
Every Friday, Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet meets to consider the latest recommendations from Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams. Following that meeting, it has been decided that York Region will remain in the "red zone."
The City of Hamilton, Halton Region, Waterloo, Windsor-Essex, Durham Region all reported case numbers in the double digits Friday and are all currently operating in the "red zone."
Update on COVID-19 testing
With 56,001 tests processed in the last 24 hours the province's COVID-19 positivity rate sits at 3.6 per cent.
More than 6.4 million tests have been completed since the beginning of the pandemic.
There are 62,403 tests currently under investigation.
