Ontario reports 666 new cases of COVID-19, seven additional deaths

What could be next for Ont. amid rising cases Ontario's scientific advisors are looking to Europe to project what could happen next as COVID-19 cases begin to rise again in the province.

TORONTO — Ontario health officials are reporting 666 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.

Officials recorded seven new deaths. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the province is now 9,934.

Today’s case count comes after officials logged 661 new cases on Saturday, 598 new cases on Friday and 642 new cases on Thursday.

Ontario’s rolling seven-day average now stands at 563, up from 468 at this point last week.

With 24,853 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province stands at about 2.7 per cent.

Of the new infections reported Sunday, 300 cases involved people who are unvaccinated, 24 were in those partially vaccinated and 42 were in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown. The remaining 300 infections involved people who are fully vaccinated.

Health experts have noted the number of COVID-19 infections identified in fully vaccinated individuals will naturally increase as more people get both of their shots. Vaccination helps reduce the risk of severe symptoms related to COVID-19 as well as hospitalization.

The province stated at least 126 people are in hospital due to COVID-19. Data on hospitalizations by vaccine status was not disclosed by the province today.

The province says 133 patients are in intensive care due to COVID-19. It did not provide reasoning for the discrepancy between hospitalizations and ICU admissions.

Officials deemed 467 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Sunday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 592,461.

Today’s report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 607,173, including deaths and recoveries.

On Wednesday, Ontario announced it would pause the lifting of capacity limits in remaining higher-risk settings.

WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES?

In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 76 new cases in Toronto, 42 new cases in Peel Region, 41 new cases in York Region and 34 new cases in Durham Region.

Outside of the GTA, regions that reported more than 30 new infections include Simcoe-Muskoka (68), Ottawa (47), Windsor-Essex (47) and Niagara (47).

All other regions reported fewer than 30 new cases of the virus.

According to the province’s epidemiology report, of the 661 new infections reported on Sunday, 139 cases were identified in children under the age of 12.

The province also recorded 54 cases in youth between the ages of 12 and 19 and another 187 cases in people between the ages of 20 and 39.

OVER 11.1M PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED IN ONTARIO

The province reports that 11,147,412 people in Ontario have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are now considered fully vaccinated against the virus.

In the last 24-hour period, officials said 13,066 doses of the vaccine were administered to Ontario residents.

Just over 22.7 million vaccine doses have been administered in the province since the rollout began last year.

Last week, the province launched a new phase of its booster shot campaign, opening up third dose eligibility to nearly 3 million people, including anyone 70 or older.