Ontario confirms 1,794 new COVID-19 cases, record number of vaccine doses

By News Staff

For the fourth time in the last five days, Ontario is confirming fewer than 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 as the province pushes past another record when it comes to single-day vaccinations.

Provincial officials say 1,794 new infections were recorded – that’s down from the 1,890 cases confirmed on Friday.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases has now fallen to under 2,000 for the first time since the end of March.

Over 77 per cent of the new cases are variants of concern.

Toronto is reporting 416 new cases while there are 355 new infections in Peel Region, and 140 in York Region.

An additional 20 people have died as a result of the virus – the third straight day the number of deaths has been 20 or more.

A record 190,129 vaccine shots were administered on Friday, bringing the total number of first doses given to over 7.9 million.

Hospitalizations continue to decline with 1,207 people in hospital due to COVID-19. Of those patients, 706 are in intensive care with just over 500 on a ventilator.

Just under 35,000 tests were processed in the previous 24 hour period, raising the positivity rate to 6 per cent.

The latest figures come as Ontario loosens some rules around outdoor gatherings, re-opens many outdoor recreational facilities and permits limited in-person visits at long-term care homes starting Saturday.

Outdoor amenities like golf courses, skate parks and tennis courts can welcome patrons, but outdoor team sports and classes are still off-limits.

Long-term care residents can now also visit outdoors with friends and family in addition to their essential care-givers.

Amended government rules say residents can have up to two visitors at one time, noting children under the age of two don’t count towards the limit.

Visitors will not need to undergo a COVID-19 test to see their loved ones, but must wear masks and maintain physical distance during their outdoor visits.

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report

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