Ontario reports under 350 new COVID-19 cases, one additional death
Ontario health officials are reporting just under 350 new COVID-19 cases as the positivity rate in the province continues to remain low.
The province confirmed 345 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, which marks a drop from the 370 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 410, down from 568 at this point last week.
With 26,643 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province is 1.4 per cent.
The province also reported that one more person has died due to COVID-19 in the previous 24-hour period, bringing the total number of deaths to 8,994.
The last day the province recorded one death was Oct. 7, 2020.
There are currently 378 people in hospital due to the disease. At least 352 patients are in intensive care and 293 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
The province deemed 624 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Friday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 528,421.
Thursday’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 541,525, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO
Officials reported 85 new cases in Waterloo, 50 in Toronto, 50 in Peel Region, 29 in Hamilton and 22 in York Region on Friday.
The province confirmed an additional 228 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 141,700.
Officials identified two new cases of B.1.351, originally found in South African, and so the total case count in the province rose to 1,146.
In addition, the province added 13 more cases of P.1, first found in Brazil, which brings its total number of cases to 4,200.
As for the Delta variant, also known as the B.1.617 variant, originally found in India, officials reported 71 new cases of the strain, which brings the total number in the province to 657.
MORE THAN 2.5M PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED IN ONTARIO
The province reports that 2,547,241 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 210,638 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 12 million vaccine doses have been administered in the province since the rollout began earlier this year.
Today, Health Minister Christine Elliott announced that over 20 per cent of all Ontarians over the age of 18 are 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
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.