TORONTO – For the fourth consecutive day, Ontario has surpassed 700 new cases of Covid-19 per day. In fact, the provincial health officials today registered 741 new infections; Saturday 728, Friday 793, Thursday 711. The seven-day moving average of new infections is now 645: last Sunday it was 563.

Of the confirmed cases today in Ontario, 350 involved unvaccinated people, 20 partially vaccinated people, 331 fully vaccinated people and 40 people with an unknown vaccination status. With 29,799 tests processed in the last 24 hours, the provincial-level positivity rate was 2.6%, down slightly from 2.7% last Sunday.

Healthcare units with the highest number of public cases include Simcoe-Muskoka (84), Toronto (80), Windsor (50), Ottawa (48), Peel Region (43), Sudbury (39), and York Region (39).

135 Covid-19 patients are in intensive care, a slight increase compared to 133 seven days ago. This number still includes the dozen patients who have been transferred from Saskatchewan to Ontario hospitals. Also recorded today 3 deaths related to the virus, which bring the death toll of Covid-19 in Ontario, since the beginning of the pandemic, to 9,967. The cases still active (known) in the province are 5,465, compared to 4,778 last Sunday.

The situation in Quebec continues to be very similar to that of Ontario: today Quebec recorded another 707 cases of Covid-19, of these infections, 413 concern people who are not fully vaccinated (396 not vaccinated and 17 with a single dose) and 294 fully vaccinated people.

Another 3 deaths, bringing the total death toll in Quebec to 11,558 since the start of the pandemic. Admissions fell by two, with 21 patients hospitalized and 23 discharged. Of the 21 new patients, 12 are unvaccinated, 1 received a dose more than two weeks before entering the hospital, and 8 received doses more than a week ago. There are four fewer people in the ICU for a total of 41. Known (active) cases in Quebec are 7,644.

Manitoba reported on Friday the highest number of daily cases (201) in nearly six months, as well as 4 deaths related to the virus bringing the total deaths to 1,285. Of the new cases on Friday, 116 were detected in unvaccinated people, 6 partially vaccinated and 79 fully vaccinated. There are 1,449 active cases in Manitoba.

New surge in infections also in Saskatchewan where 185 new cases and 2 deaths were recorded on Saturday, bringing the total deaths to 910. 155 people are in hospital (39 in intensive care) and 107 of these (69%) are not fully vaccinated. 1,167 cases still active in the province.

Image by Hermann Kollinger from Pixabay