Ontario logs 441 new COVID-19, highest test positivity since mid-September
CBC
Ontario reported 441 new cases of COVID-19 and its highest provincewide test positivity rate since mid-September on Tuesday.
Today's case count is a roughly 33 per cent jump from last Tuesday, when Ontario logged 331 infections. It marks a ninth straight day of week-over-week increases in cases.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases climbed to 492. Last Tuesday, it was 371.
Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table now estimates the province's effective reproduction number at 1.26, meaning transmission of the virus is once again growing exponentially after a sustained period of contraction.
Public Health Ontario reported a 3.1 per cent positivity rate on 19,368. For comparison, one week ago, 20,148 tests produced a positivity rate of 1.5.
Here are some key pandemic indicators and figures from the Ministry of Health's daily provincial update:
Newly reported school-related cases: 181 between Friday afternoon and Monday afternoon, including 159 students and 17 staff members. Three of Ontario's 4,844 publicly funded schools are closed due to COVID-19.
Patients in ICU with COVID-related illnesses: 134, a slight uptick from 127 on Monday. Of those, 78 relied on a ventilator to breathe.
Active cases: 4,022.
Newly reported deaths: Three, pushing the official toll to 9,903.
Vaccinations: 13,049 doses were administered by public health units on Monday. About 85.2 per cent of eligible Ontarians have had two shots.
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