Ontario reports less than 300 new COVID-19 cases for the first time since August

Ontario reported 269 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday—it’s the first time since early August that Ontario has reported under 300 new COVID-19 cases. The new case numbers are also a moderate drop from the 326 cases reported on Monday, 370 cases reported on Sunday and 373 reported for Saturday.

The province also reported five new deaths on Tuesday, although one death that occurred more than a month ago was added to the cumulative count based on data.

Out of Tuesday’s new cases, 176 cases are in individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 93 are in fully vaccinated individuals. Tuesday’s report includes 39 cases in Toronto, 36 in Peel Region, 27 in Windsor-Essex, 21 in the Niagara Region, and 19 in the Southwestern public health unit.

To date, the province has had 598,110 total cases of COVID-19, with 585,207 cases resolved and 9,852 deaths.

Meanwhile, as of Tuesday morning, 22,394,887 doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Ontario; approximately 87.9 per cent of people age 12 and over in Ontario have received at least one dose and approximately 83.9 per cent of people 12 and over in Ontario are fully vaccinated. In Toronto, 83.76 per cent of people age 12 and over are fully vaccinated.

There are currently 233 patients in Ontario hospitalized with COVID-19, with 138 patients in ICU due to COVID-related critical illnesses, and 88 patients in ICU on a ventilator due to COVID-related critical illness.

Last week, Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet released a plan to reopen Ontario and manage COVID-19 for the long-term, to lift remaining public health and workplace safety measures by March 2022 (pending ongoing assessment of health care indicators, including new COVID-19 variants, increases in hospitalizations and ICU occupancy, and rapid increases in transmission).

As of Monday, Oct. 25, Ontario lifted capacity limits in the vast majority of settings where proof of vaccination are required (including restaurants, bars and gyms). By November 15, the government plans to lift capacity limits in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required (e.g. nightclubs, wedding receptions in meeting and event spaces where there is dancing and strip clubs). By March 28, 2022, the government plans to lift remaining public health and workplace safety measures, including wearing face coverings in indoor public settings.

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Article exclusive to POST CITY