New COVID-19 cases in Ontario drop below 1,000 mark for first time in a week

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TORONTO — Ontario is reporting fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time in a week.

The 966 new infections represent a decrease from Monday’s report when 1,023 cases were logged. Before that, the province added 1,062 cases on Sunday and 1,185 cases on Saturday.

Ontario’s lab-confirmed COVID-19 case total is now 302,805, including 285,262 recoveries and 6,997 deaths.

The province says that 11 of those deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.

With 30,767 tests processed in the previous day, health officials say that Ontario’s COVID-19 positivity rate stands at 2.9 per cent.

The seven-day average for number of cases reported is 1,098, up slightly form the 1,050 reported a week ago today.

Right now, there are 10,546 active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario.

Where are the new COVID-19 cases?

Of the new COVID-19 infections reported in Ontario Tuesday, 253 are in Toronto, 223 are in Peel Region and 99 are in York Region, according to the Ministry of Health.

York Region moved back into the province’s colour-coded framework last Monday and is currently operating in the red “control” level, which allows for the reopening of non-essential businesses with health restrictions in place.

Toronto and Peel Region, as well North Bay Parry Sound District, remain under a stay-at-home order until at least March 8.

Another 64 cases were found in Ottawa, which is operating in the orange “restrict” level of the same framework.

There are currently 677 patients in hospital with COVID-19, a number that has been climbing over the past three days.

Of those patients, 284 are being treated in intensive care and 189 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.

Additional cases of U.K. variant reported

Ontario health officials say that another seven cases of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, also known as the U.K. variant, have been confirmed in the last 24-hour period.

This brings the total number of documented B.1.1.7 infections in the province to 542.

No additional cases of B.1.351 (South African variant) or P.1 (Brazilian variant) were found, the province says, as case counts for those strains remain at 27 and 3, respectively.

Update on COVID-19 vaccinations

Since the province began vaccinating people against COVID-19 in December, 727,021 doses have been administered.

More than 22,000 of those shots were administered in the last day alone.

So far, 264,896 people have received their first and second doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are considered fully vaccinated against the virus.