More than 4,200 new COVID-19 cases reported in Ontario, hospitalizations reach 2,100

Can employers force workers to get vaccinated? Workplace lawyer Paul McLean discusses whether employers can force workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

TORONTO — Ontario is reporting more than 4,200 new cases of COVID-19 while hospitalizations related to the disease surpass 2,100.

Sunday’s report of 4,250 new infections marks the fifth straight day in which case numbers have remained above 4,000 in the province.

Right now, there are a record 2,107 people in hospital with COVID-19. Of those patients, 741 are being treated in intensive care and 506 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.

Ontario’s lab-confirmed COVID-19 case count now stands at 416,995, including 367,691 recoveries and 7,716 deaths. At least 18 of those deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

There are 41,588 active cases of the disease throughout Ontario. The seven-day average for number of cases reported is 4,341. A week ago today, that number was 3,573.

Labs across Ontario processed 53,776 tests in the previous day yielding a positivity rate of 9.2 per cent, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Ontario government introduced new measures Friday to curb the spread of infection. Those measures include the closure of outdoor spaces like basketball courts and golf courses, more limits on outdoor public gatherings, and more authority for police officers to enforce the stay-at-home order.

However, the province walked back those police powers and reopened playgrounds in the face of growing criticism.

Where are the new COVID-19 cases?

Of the cases reported Sunday, most were found in Toronto (1,392), Peel (714), York (483) and Durham (279) regions, and Ottawa (239).

Case counts in the triple digits were also recorded in Hamilton, Niagara, Halton, Middlesex-London, and Simcoe-Muskoka.

Ontario is currently operating under a provincewide stay-at-home order which is set to expire on May 20 at the earliest.

Another 1,785 swabs test positive for COVID-19 U.K. variant

In the last 24 hours, 1,785 COVID-19 swabs in Ontario have tested positive for the variant known as B.1.1.7.

The case total for the strain, which was first found in the U.K., sits at 34,112.

Three more instances of B.1.351 (South African variant) were also found, which brings the case total to 104.

Meanwhile, the total number of P.1 infections (Brazilian variant) is unchanged at 207.

Since the province began screening for variants of concern, 27,373 swabs have been flagged for a mutation.

Update on COVID-19 vaccinations

The province says 3,837,881 needles have gone into arms since it began vaccinations back in December.

At least 86,000 of those doses were administered in the previous day.

So far, 345,310 people have received both their first and second shots and are considered by the Ministry of Health to be fully vaccinated against the disease.