Ontario reports nearly 350 new cases of COVID-19, 13 additional deaths
Ontario reported 346 more COVID-19 cases and 13 additional deaths on Saturday.
As a result, the seven-day rolling average of new cases fell to 291, compared to 390 seven days ago.
Provincial labs processed more than 25,626 test specimens, generating a positivity rate of at least 1.1 per cent.
The number of known active cases across Ontario fell to 2,729.
A total of 9,114 people have died of COVID-19 since March 2020.
The province says 532,074 people have recovered.
Toronto reported 64 new cases on Thursday, 39 in Waterloo, 34 in Peel Region, 32 in Grey Bruce and 24 in the Porcupine Health.
The Ministry of Health said there were a total of 273 people in hospital due to COVID-19 across Ontario.
Update on COVID-19 variants of concern
Labs found 115 additional cases of the Alpha variant, B.1.1.7, bringing the case total to 143,150.
Another 46 cases of the Delta variant, B.1.617.2, were also found, pushing its case total to 1,126.
There were 34 other cases of the Beta variant, B.1.351, reported, which brings the case total for the strain to 1,195.
115 new cases of the Gamma variant, P.1, were recorded Friday and the case total remains unchanged at 4,385.
Record number of vaccinations administered
The province said it administered a record 256,260 doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.
Throughout Ontario’s seven-month vaccination campaign, 13,824,469 needles have gone into arms, including 3.9 million people who have received both shots and are considered to be fully vaccinated.
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
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
She thought her children just had a cough or fever. A mother shares sons' experience with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.
Putin says Russia attacked Ukraine with a new missile that he claims the West can't stop
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Service Canada holding back 85K passports amid Canada Post mail strike
Approximately 85,000 new passports are being held back by Service Canada, which stopped mailing them out a week before the nationwide Canada Post strike.
Taylor Swift's motorcade spotted along Toronto's Gardiner Expressway
Taylor Swift is officially back in Toronto for round two. The popstar princess's motorcade was seen driving along the Gardiner Expressway on Thursday afternoon, making its way to the downtown core ahead of night four of ‘The Eras Tour’ at the Rogers Centre.
Manitoba RCMP issue Canada-wide warrant for Ontario semi-driver charged in deadly crash
Manitoba RCMP have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for the semi-driver involved in a crash that killed an eight-year-old girl and her mother.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won’t have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Mother charged after infant dies in midtown Toronto: police
The mother of an infant who died after being found at an apartment building in midtown Toronto on Wednesday has been charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.
B.C. man who sold Porsche to scammers shares cautionary tale
A man from B.C.’s Lower Mainland who was scammed while selling his Porsche Cayenne online is sharing his cautionary tale – while calling for increased protections from the government.