Ontario reports more than 500 new COVID-19 cases
Ontario health officials are reporting more than 500 new cases of COVID-19 after two days of daily case numbers below that threshold.
The province confirmed 531 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, which comes after officials reported case numbers below the 500 mark for two straight days.
Health officials reported 485 new cases on Wednesday and 348 new cases on Tuesday. Before Tuesday, officials had reported more than 500 new cases for five straight days.
Ontario’s rolling seven-day average now stands at 498, up from 375 at this point last week. The seven-day average has been climbing steadily for several weeks.
With 26,213 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province stands at 2.4 per cent.
On Thursday, about 85 per cent of the cases (456) involved people who are either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or their vaccination status remained unknown. The remaining 75 infections involved people who are fully vaccinated.
The province recorded 17 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the total death tally in the province at 9,448.
Fifteen of the deaths reported today occurred two months ago, the Ministry of Health said. The deaths are being reported as part of a data catch-up.
The province stated at least 176 people are in hospital due to COVID-19, including 13 people who are fully vaccinated and 163 people that are either not fully vaccinated or their vaccination status remains unknown.
The province deemed 338 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Thursday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 543,760.
Today’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 557,451, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO
In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 116 new cases in Toronto, 63 new cases in Peel Region, 62 new cases in York Region, 29 new cases Durham Region and 17 new cases in Halton Region.
Officials also reported 46 new cases in Hamilton, 43 new cases in Windsor, 22 new cases in Middlesex-London, 25 new cases in Simcoe Muskoka, 19 new cases in Ottawa, 17 new cases in Waterloo, 13 new cases in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph and 12 new cases in Brant County.
All other regions reported fewer than 10 new cases of the disease.
Ontario is currently in Step 3 of its reopening plan. On Tuesday, health officials said the province is putting the brakes on any further reopening ahead of a "difficult fall and winter" due to the Delta variant.
MORE THAN 9.6M PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED IN ONTARIO
The province reports that 9,670,921 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 45,545 doses of the vaccine were administered to Ontario residents.
Just over 20.3 million vaccine doses have been administered in the province since the rollout began last year.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.