New COVID-19 cases in Ontario surge to highest level in nearly five months

TORONTO —
Ontario is reporting the highest number of new COVID-19 cases since early May. 

Health officials added 491 lab-confirmed cases on Sunday, the highest daily total since May 2 when 511 cases were confirmed.

The province also recorded two COVID-19-related deaths in the last 24-hour period as well as 289 cases which are now considered to be resolved.

Sunday’s report pushes the province’s lab-confirmed case count to 49,831, including 2,839 deaths and 42,796 recoveries.  

Right now, there are 4,196 active cases of the disease in Ontario.

The new cases represent an increase over Saturday’s total when 435 new infections were logged and mark the fourth straight day in which the province has recorded more than 400 new cases.

On Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned of a “more challenging” and “more complicated” second wave of COVID-19 as he announced the government’s first part of a fall preparedness plan.

Days later, the premier would impose stricter rules on restaurants and bars to control “outbreak clusters” of COVID-19 in the province. The new restrictions mean that all food and drink establishments can no longer sell alcohol after 11 p.m. and the consumption of alcohol on these premises will be prohibited after 12 a.m.

In a tweet published Sunday morning, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said that most of the new cases are in people under the age of 40.

According to the province’s daily epidemiologic summary, 236 of the new infections were reported in people between the ages of 20 and 39. That age group now accounts for 17,000 lab-confirmed infections, the most of any age group in Ontario.

Another 118 cases were reported in people between the ages of 40 and 59. Seventy-five cases were reported in people 19 years of age and younger and 51 cases were reported in people between the ages of 60 and 79.

Thirteen new cases were reported in people 80 years of age and older.

Where are the new COVID-19 cases?

Most of the new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario continue to be reported by just four regions.

There are 137 new cases in Toronto, 131 in Peel Region and 58 in both Ottawa and York Region.

At least five other public health units are also reporting new case numbers in the double digits, including Niagara, Halton and Waterloo.

The number of hospitalizations has also increased to 112, up from the 100 reported a day earlier. However, the ministry of health says that number will likely increase as approximately 35 Ontario hospitals did not report patient data on Sunday.

Of those 112 patients, 28 are being treated in an intensive care unit, 16 of which are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.  

Update on COVID-19 testing in Ontario

Testing for COVID-19 in Ontario remains high with 42,509 tests completed since yesterday. A day earlier, the province would set a new record for most tests completed in a single day with 43,238 tests completed.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the province has processed more than 3.8 million tests for the disease.

There are 65,061 tests currently under investigation.