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
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
3 Indian nationals accused of murdering Hardeep Singh Nijjar facing court in B.C.
Three Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are due to face court Tuesday over the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift with India.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.