Ontario reports fewer than 150 COVID-19 cases, 7-day average levels off - CityNews Toronto

Ontario is reporting 135 new COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths on Wednesday.

It is the third straight day with fewer than 150 new infections. The province has reported fewer than 200 cases for 13 days in a row now.

The test positivity rate is 0.8 per cent, up from 0.6 per cent one week ago.

There were 20,750 tests completed in the last 24-hour period.

Locally, there are 26 new cases in Toronto, 16 in Peel Region, 13 in Durham Region, 12 in the Region of Waterloo and 10 in Middlesex-London.

There were 151 resolved cases, dropping the active case count by 16.

The rolling seven-day average is down slightly to 150 cases. The average has plateaued in the past week after dropping consistently since the peak of the third wave in April.

The province reported 127 cases and two deaths on Tuesday.

There are now 145 people in the ICU with COVID-19 complications and 70 ICU patients on a ventilator. ICU patients has dropped to the lowest point since mid-November.

There were 140,491 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the last 24-hour period.

As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, 79.8 per cent of Ontario residents 12 and older have received at least one dose while 63.1 per cent are now fully vaccinated.

Ontario’s chief medical officer says the province is doing their best to convince the remaining population of about 2 million unvaccinated residents to get immunized or risk getting sick.

Speaking on Tuesday, Dr. Kieran Moore says incentives, such as proof of vaccination in the form of a passport, will not be offered to increase vaccine uptake, adding that there is still time for the province to make progress.

Moore says that by following data and COVID-19 modelling, evidence from the U.S. shows that infection and transmission of the Delta variant will fluctuate in the remaining unvaccinated population.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health says he’s not sure there will be high enough levels of immunity to COVID-19 across the province by September for kids to return to school unmasked.

The government’s science advisory table released recommendations Monday for COVID-19 protocols in schools when they resume, including loosening rules on masking in low-risk scenarios.

Moore says he would define low risk in that context as a community that is seeing fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 people per week.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch believes a fourth wave of COVID-19 in Canada is inevitable as provinces relax restrictions and the country prepares for a gradual reopening of our border.

He says the the border reopening plan from the federal government is reasonable and takes the proper steps by starting with only allowing fully vaccinated travellers from one country into Canada, before expanding from there.

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Ontario reports fewer than 150 COVID-19 cases, 7-day average levels off - CityNews Toronto
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