Ontario reports over 700 new COVID-19 cases, highest daily count since September
Posted November 18, 2021 10:03 am.
Last Updated November 18, 2021 2:07 pm.
The rise in daily COVID-19 cases continues as Ontario reports 711 new infections on Thursday, along with five additional deaths.
It’s the highest number reported in the province since Sept. 24, when 724 new infections were confirmed in Ontario. Thursday’s total has again pushed up the seven-day rolling average, which is now at 597 after sitting as low as 416 one month ago today, on Oct. 18.
Seventeen deaths have been reported in the last two days, including one young adult under 20 who died on Wednesday. Almost 10,000 Ontarians have died (9,955) during the course of the pandemic.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 397 involved not fully vaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status, while 314 are fully vaccinated. There are currently 129 patients recovering from the virus in ICU, as 112 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status — 17 are fully vaccinated, Elliott says.
RELATED:
Health Canada to approve Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids on Friday: report
Canada to drop COVID-19 tests for short trips: reports
Over 30,000 tests have been completed since Wednesday. Just under 90 per cent of Ontarians 12-and-up (88.8 per cent) have received one vaccine dose, while 85.7 per cent are fully vaccinated with two shots.
Toronto’s public health unit is reporting the highest local increase with 74 COVID-19 cases on Thursday. There are 40 new infections in Peel Region, 39 in York, and 33 in Durham. The public health units in Windsor-Essex and Simcoe-Muskoka district are both reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases with 71 and 69 confirmed today.
The province reported 129 new cases in Ontario schools on Thursday; 114 of them involved students. There have been 1,200 school-related cases in the last two weeks.
Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table updated its estimated number of cases per day to 647; a rate and percentage predicted through the seven-day midpoint. The science table’s data shows that 99 per cent of Ontario’s cases are caused by the Delta variant.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, will be joined by Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Health Minister Elliott to speak at 2 p.m. in what’s expected to be an announcement on the province’s “enhanced COVID-19 testing strategy.”
This follows recent backlash over a soon-to-be-implemented program for symptomatic COVID-19 testing at Ontario pharmacies.
On Tuesday, the government revealed that the province would allow any pharmacies who opt-in to begin testing customers with COVID-19 symptoms inside the store. This includes any individuals who come down with COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with a confirmed case.
With files from Michael Ranger of CityNews
