Ontario logs 170 new COVID-19 cases, majority in Toronto area

Ontario's daily COVID-19 count continues to spike Ontario has recorded a daily COVID-19 case count above 100 for 15 days in a row.

TORONTO — Ontario logged 170 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, with more than half of the infections reported in the Greater Toronto Area.

The new cases represent an increase from the 149 infections reported a day earlier, but remain just under the 185 infections recorded on Tuesday and the 190 on Monday.

Thursday’s infections also mark the 15th day in a row where the number of daily recorded COVID-19 infections in Ontario has surpassed 100.

Officials say that 28 of Ontario’s local public health units have reported five or fewer cases of the disease, while 14 have reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus.

Of the new cases reported on Thursday, 55 were in Toronto, 28 were in York Region, 22 in Peel Region and 13 were in Durham Region.

Ottawa reported 12 new COVID-19 cases and was the only region outside of the GTA to report more than 10 new infections.

According to the province’s epidemiology summary, most of the new cases were in people between the ages of 20 and 39. Seventy-three people within that age group were diagnosed with the disease.

Fifty-five of the new novel coronavirus cases were in people between the ages of 40 and 59 while 10 were in those between the ages of 60 and 79. Thirty-three were in people under the age of 19 and one patient was over the age of 80.

Officials also reported one additional death, bringing the total death toll in Ontario related to COVID-19 to 2,814.

There are 54 people being treated for the novel coronavirus in Ontario hospitals. Fourteen of those patients are in the intensive care unit and nine are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.

The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario now stands at 43,855, including deaths and recoveries.

The province has completed a little more than 24,600 COVID-19 tests in the last 24 hours, an increase from Wednesday’s reported 17,600 tests.

There remains more than 25,800 COVID-19 tests under investigation as of Thursday.

The new cases come a day after Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that officials will soon be reporting cases of COVID-19 within schools. Under the current provincial guidelines, school boards must inform parents and members of the community of a positive case by posting the information online.

However, on Wednesday, Ford added that officials will eventually report the exact case numbers like they did infections in long-term care homes.

Some schools in the GTA have started classes this week while others have delayed class by about a week.