Ontario reports 1,429 new COVID cases as test positivity hits 7-month high

Test positivity hit 6.6 per cent — the highest seen since mid-May. Last week, test positivity was at 3.8  per cent.

Ontario is reporting 1,429 new COVID cases on Tuesday, as case counts continue to rise over the last week and test positivity has reached a seven-month high. The provincial case total now stands at 635,112.

For comparison, last Tuesday saw 928 new cases and the previous Tuesday saw 687. Over the last three days, there were 1,536 new cases reported Monday, 1,476 on Sunday and 1,607 on Saturday.

However, as infections surge, patients with COVID in ICUs (intensive care units) have remained relatively stable but are on an overall slow rise.

Of the 1,429 new cases recorded, the data showed 493 were unvaccinated people, 33 were partially vaccinated people, 809 were fully vaccinated people and for 94 people the vaccination status was unknown.

According to Tuesday’s report, 239 cases were recorded in Toronto, 128 in York Region, 120 in Ottawa, 103 in Peel Region, 85 in the Kingston-area, and 84 in Middlesex-London. All other local public health units reported fewer than 80 new cases in the provincial report.

The death toll in the province has risen to 10,084 as five more deaths were reported.

As of 8 p.m. on Monday, there are more than 11.3 million people fully immunized with two doses, which is 87.6 per cent of the aged 12 and older population. First dose coverage stands at 90.3 per cent. There are 1,213,727 Ontarians who have received a booster shot.

For young children aged five to 11, first dose coverage stands at 31.5 per cent — 339,296 doses out of just over 1 million eligible children.