TORONTO – With more than 400 cases in the last twenty-four hours, Ontario exceeds 600,000 infections recorded since the beginning of the pandemic: 600,377. Today, therefore, provincial health officials reported 422 new cases of Covid-19: a significant increase compared to the 326 cases of last Monday and more even compared to the 340 infections on Sunday (when, however, more swabs were processed: 25,707 against 19,840 today) and 356 on Saturday. 

The seven-day moving average of new infections in Ontario is now 362, still down from a week ago (372), while the positivity rate is now 1.8 percent, slightly up from the 1.6 last Monday.

Of the new cases confirmed today, 225 (53%) involve unvaccinated people, 13 people with a dose of the vaccine, 161 (38%) fully immunized and 23 with an unknown vaccination status. Currently, over 84% of people 12 years of age and older in Ontario have received two doses of the vaccine.

Another 3 deaths related to the virus confirmed today: the death toll of Covid-19 in Ontario is now 9,874.

133 patients in Ontario’s intensive care units, down from 138 last week. This number includes 22 patients transferred from the province from Saskatchewan. The number of active (known) cases in Ontario is now 3,159, down from 3,215 a week ago. Regarding the territorial distribution of today’s cases, 61 were reported in Toronto, 41 in the York region, 47 in the Peel region and 38 in Ottawa.

In Quebec, 497 new cases were detected today: the total number of people infected since the start of the pandemic is 426,457. Health officials in the province also confirmed another 2 deaths, for a total of 11,496. Admissions rose eight (19 admissions and 11 discharges), bringing the number of people in Quebec hospitals to 244. Of these, 67 are in intensive care, up from five to eight new patients and three who have been discharged.

Of the new cases, 311 people are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated with a dose received less than fourteen days ago; 5 are people who received a dose more than two weeks ago; 181 are people who received two doses of a vaccine more than seven days ago. Of the new hospitalizations, 9 are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people who received one dose less than two weeks ago and 10 are people who received two doses more than a week ago.

As of October 31, a total of 6,791,659 Quebecers, or 90% of the eligible population aged 12 years and older, received the first dose of the vaccine and 6,507,238 people, while 87% of the population eligible aged 12 and over, have received two.

There are currently 4,415 positives in Quebec.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash