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
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.