Ontario reports surge in new COVID-19 infections with more than 1,200 cases added

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TORONTO — Ontario is reporting a spike in new COVID-19 infections with more than 1,200 cases logged Friday.

The 1,250 new infections mark an increase over Thursday’s report when 994 cases were logged.

This is the first time in three consecutive days that the province has added more than 1,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus.

Since the pandemic began, Ontario has recorded 306,007 cases of COVID-19, including 288,583 recoveries and 7,046 deaths related to the disease.

Of those deaths, 22 were reported in the last 24-hour period, according to the province.

There are currently 10,378 active cases of COVID-19 in Ontario.

Ontario labs completed 64,748 tests in the previous day, bringing the positivity rate to 2.3 per cent.

The seven-day average for number of infections reported is 1,062, down from 1,114 a week ago today.

COVID-19 hot spots await announcement on public health restrictions

The Ontario government is expected to announce today where it will place its COVID-19 hot spots in its colour-coded reopening framework as the stay-at-home order in those areas is expected to lift on Sunday.

Toronto, Peel Region and North Bay have been operating under that order since mid-January due to high COVID-19 case counts in those regions.

In the last 24 hours, the province said Toronto reported 337 new infections, while Peel Region logged 167 and North Bay Parry Sound District added zero.

Speaking to CP24 on Friday, Toronto Mayor John Tory said that he believes the province will accept the city's recommendation to place the city in the grey zone of the province’s framework, which would allow some non-essential businesses to reopen with restrictions.

Meanwhile, the province said that Hamilton added 74 new cases, Thunder Bay added 71 and Ottawa added 63.

Of the 643 patients in an Ontario hospital with COVID-19, the Ministry of Health said 280 are being treated in an intensive care unit and 183 are breathing on a ventilator.

More than 150 new cases of U.K. variant found

Health officials said they found 155 additional cases of the COVID-19 variant known as B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in the U.K., in the last 24 hours.

Right now, there are 799 documented cases of that COVID-19 variant in the province.

The number of B.1.351 (South African variant) and P.1 (Brazilian variant) infections remains unchanged at 31 and 3, respectively.

Update on COVID-19 vaccinations

Since inoculations began in December, 269,063 people are considered to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Ontario.

At least 820,714 shots have gone into arms across the province with 35,886 doses administered in the last day alone.