Ontario reports more than 500 new COVID-19 cases for third straight day
Ontario health officials are reporting just over 500 new cases of COVID-19 for the third straight day.
The province confirmed 502 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, which comes after officials reported 590 new infections on Thursday and 574 new infections on Friday.
Ontario’s rolling seven-day average now stands at 533, down from 844 at this point last week.
With 24,099 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province stood at 2.1 per cent on Saturday.
The province also reported that 15 more people have died due to COVID-19 in the previous 24-hour period, bringing the total number of deaths to 8,950.
There are currently 447 people in hospital due to the disease. At least 422 of these patients are in intensive care and 277 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
The province deemed 830 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Saturday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 524,362.
Saturday’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 539,153, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO
Most of the new cases reported are concentrated in hot spot regions in the Greater Toronto Area. Officials reported 89 new cases in Toronto, 71 new cases in Peel Region, 37 new cases in York Region and 31 new cases in Durham Region.
The province confirmed an additional 1,390 new cases of B.1.1.7 (U.K. variant) in Ontario on Saturday. The total case count for the strain now stands at 138,697.
Officials identified six new cases of B.1.351 (South African variant), bringing the total case count in the province to 1,134.
In addition, the province added 25 more cases of P.1 (Brazilian variant), which brings its total number of cases to 4,124.
Ontario does not currently report how many cases of the B.1.617 variant, originally found in India, are found in the province.
Ontario entered the first step of its reopening plan on Friday, allowing patios and some non-essential retail to open for the first time in months.
MORE THAN 1.6M PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED IN ONTARIO
The province reports that 1,667,761 people in Ontario have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are now considered vaccinated against the disease.
In the last 24-hour period, officials said 195,032 doses of the vaccine were administered to Ontario residents.
Just over 11 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
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Early results from London, U.K., suggest Labour's Sadiq Khan will secure a record third term as mayor
Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party's mayor of London, appeared Saturday to be romping to victory as results from the capital pour in.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.