TORONTO -- For the fourth day in a row, Ontario health officials reported more than 700 new COVID-19 cases.
Health officials reported another 783 new infections on Thursday, marking an increase from the 721 cases logged a day earlier.
The daily number of infections has fluctuated over the last week, with 736 cases on Tuesday, 807 on Monday, 649 on Sunday and 809 on Saturday.
The province also reported five new deaths related to the disease on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 3,022.
At least one of the five deaths was a resident of a long-term care home.
The majority of those who have died after contracting the novel coronavirus are people over the age of 80, with 2,080 deaths recorded in total since the beginning March.
Eleven others were between the ages of 20 and 39, while 125 were between the ages of 40 and 59, and 805 were between the ages of 60 and 79.
At the same time, according to the province’s epidemiology report, most of the cases reported on Thursday were found in people under the age of 80.
There were 128 cases in people under the age of 20, 261 cases in people between the ages of 20 and 29, 247 in people between the ages of 40 and 59 and 108 cases in people between the ages of 60 and 79.
Thirty of Thursday's cases were in people over the age of 80.
There are currently 253 people being treated in Ontario hospitals for COVID-19. Of those patients, 62 are in the intensive care unit and 31 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
The total number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario now stands at 61,413, including deaths and recoveries.
Where are the new COVID-19 cases?
The majority of Thursday’s COVID-19 cases can be found in the Greater Toronto Area, with a large spike in York Region.
Of the 783 infections, 289 were in Toronto, 136 were in Peel Region, 28 were in Halton Region and 40 were in Durham Region. Ottawa recorded another 89 cases.
The infection numbers in York Region has increased from 79 cases to 127 in the last 24 hours.
On Wednesday, Ontario's top health officials said they will be meeting to discuss if other regions in the province will have to revert to Stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan.
Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa have already been moved to this modified Stage 2, which saw indoor dining halted and facilities such as gyms and cinemas closed.
Officials said on Wednesday that the province’s seven-day rolling average for percent positivity is 2.2 per cent.
In the last 24 hours, the province conducted nearly 40,000 COVID-19 tests, bringing Thursday’s positivity rate to just under two per cent for the first time in several days.
There remains more than 36,600 tests under investigation in Ontario.
