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
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.