Ontario reports a drop in new COVID-19 cases but testing falls short
Posted November 17, 2020 10:18 am.
Last Updated November 17, 2020 10:51 am.
Ontario is reporting 1,249 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, a drop from the 1,487 cases on Monday that coincided with a marked decrease in testing.
The province said it completed nearly 26,500 tests, well short of its goal of 50,000 tests per day and around 6,900 less than the day before.
In a previous statement, Health Minister Christine Elliott’s office explained that testing numbers are usually below average on Tuesdays.
“The number of “tests completed” is typically lowest on Tuesdays, as the province is reporting what was processed on Monday, which is the result of what is collected on Sundays. Trends show that less people book an appointment to be tested on the weekends,” Elliott’s press secretary explained.
The most new cases reported Tuesday are in Toronto (569), Peel Region (256) and York Region (94).
Twelve more people have died, bringing the death toll to 3,383. The majority of those deaths (2,148) were people living in long-term care.
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