Ontario reports more than 350 new COVID-19 cases as positivity rate hits lowest since early October
Ontario health officials are reporting just over 350 new COVID-19 cases as the positivity rate in the province continues to drop.
The province confirmed 370 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, which marks a slight drop from the 384 reported the day before. On Tuesday, officials marked the lowest daily total since Sept. 17 with 293 infections.
Ontario’s rolling seven-day average now stands at 443, down from 618 at this point last week.
With 30,454 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province dropped from 1.5 per cent on Wednesday to 1.3 per cent on Thursday.
The last time the province recorded a positivity rate of 1.3 per cent was on Oct. 2, before the peak of the second and third waves.
The province also reported that seven more people have died due to COVID-19 in the previous 24-hour period, bringing the total number of deaths to 8,993.
There are currently 397 people in hospital due to the disease. At least 362 patients are in intensive care and 232 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
The province deemed 635 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Thursday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 527,797.
Thursday’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 541,180, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO
In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 67 new cases in Toronto, 47 new cases in Peel Region, 27 new cases in York Region and 13 new cases in Durham Region.
Officials also reported 57 new cases in Waterloo, 34 new cases in Ottawa, 17 new cases in Middlesex-London and Porcupine Health Unit and 10 new cases in Niagara Region.
The province confirmed an additional 366 new cases of B.1.1.7, first found in the U.K., on Thursday. The total case count for the strain now stands at 141,472.
Officials identified three new cases of B.1.351, originally found in South African, and so the total case count in the province rose to 1,144.
In addition, the province added 31 more cases of P.1, first found in Brazil, which brings its total number of cases to 4,187.
As for the Delta variant, also known as the B.1.617 variant, originally found in India, officials reported 89 new cases of the strain, which brings the total number in the province to 586.
MORE THAN 2.3M PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED IN ONTARIO
The province reports that 2,371,035 people in Ontario have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are now considered fully vaccinated against the disease.
In the last 24-hour period, officials said 210,611 doses of the vaccine were administered to Ontario residents, marking the highest number of shots given in a single day so far in the province.
Just over 11.9 million vaccine doses have been administered in the province since the rollout began earlier this year.
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.