Ontario COVID-19 cases dip under 200 again, lowest seven-day average since Sept.

Officials say Ontario still isn't ready for Step 3 Ontario has double vaccinated more than 50 per cent of the population but officials are still saying it's not enough for Step 3.

TORONTO — The daily COVID-19 case count in Ontario has dipped below 200 yet again after a single-day spike as the seven-day average hits its lowest mark since mid-September.

On Friday, health officials reported 183 new infections as well as nine additional deaths deaths.

The province reported 210 cases on Thursday 194 on Wednesday and 170 on Tuesday.

The seven-day rolling average now stands at 192, compared to 259 a week ago. This is the lowest seven-day average reported by the province since September 13, 2020, when the average was also 192.

Provincial labs processed more than 26,101 test specimens yesterday, generating a positivity rate of at least 0.7 per cent, according to the Ministry of Health.

The province’s virus-related death toll stands at 9,237.

Another 233 people recovered from the disease yesterday, resulting in 1,757 active cases across the province.

There are currently 189 people receiving treatment in Ontario hospitals due to the virus.

OVER 200K VACCINE DOSES ADMINISTERED

The province said it administered 224,864 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the last 24 hours.

Throughout Ontario’s seven-month vaccination campaign, over 16.6 million needles have gone into arms.

As of Friday, 6,515,960 people have received both doses and are considered to be fully vaccinated.

WHERE ARE THE NEW CASES?

The Ministry of Health is reporting 50 new cases in the Region of Waterloo, 24 in Peel Region, 24 in Grey Bruce, 22 in Toronto and 10 in Halton Region.

All additional public health units are reporting under 10 new infections.

VARIANT OF CONCERN UPDATE

In a press conference held Friday, Ontario Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore confirmed that the Lambda variant has made its way into the province.

"Public health Ontario has now detected six cases of the Lambda variant, which has crossed international borders and entered our province, so the fight is far from over," Moore said.

"We must remain vigilant, especially going into the fall. The province will remain in step three of the roadmap for at least 21 days."

Additionally, Ontario officials reported 174 new cases of Delta variant, B.1.617.2, Friday and the case total is now 2,459.

Three cases of the Beta variant, B.1.351, were also recorded. So far, there have been a total of 1,439 cases of the Beta variant reported in Ontario.

As for the Gamma variant, P.1, 43 new cases were recorded today. The total number of Gamma variants recorded in Ontario is now 4,739.

The Ministry of Health is reporting -76 cases of the Alpha variant, B.1.1.7, Friday. They have not provided a reason for the discrepancy.