Ontario reports 455 new cases of COVID-19 as total surpasses 30,000

By News Staff

Ontario reported 455 new cases of novel coronavirus on Saturday as the total case count surpassed 30,000 in the province.

The new case count is the highest single day total in almost two weeks but includes what the province calls 68 previous cases from “a laboratory-to-public health reporting delay.”

Even without those additional cases, the 387 marks the highest single day total since Tuesday and is the 10th consecutive day the case count has been over 300.

The seven day average of new cases jumped to 381 from 362.

The province reported 35 new deaths – the second highest number in three days, bringing the total death count to 2,407.

Of those total deaths, 1,549 were in long-term care, Public Health Ontario reports. The Ministry of Long-Term Care reports that 1,717 people who have died were in long-term care – a discrepancy attributed to a lag in reported deaths.

Provincial health officials also reported one new outbreak in a long-term care facility, bringing that total to 311.

The provincial total of confirmed cases now stands at 30,202 with 79.3 per cent considered resolved. The GTA accounts for almost 67 per cent of all positive cases in the province.

For the third day in a row the province established a new high in the number of tests conducted with 23,105.

The number of people in hospital dropped sharply, from 749 to 673 and the number of people in intensive care went down slightly, while the number of people on ventilators rose slightly.

Toronto Public Health reported 143 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total in the city to 12,176.

The seven day average continued to creep up for the third straight day to 165 from 162 and 158 the previous days.

Health officials also report 31 additional deaths, which is the second time in three days the death toll has surpassed 30. The total number of deaths now sits at 921.

While more than half of all cases in the city are due to close contact with an infected person, just under 3,000 are due to community spread while less than 500 is attributed to institutional spread such as long-term care homes.

Hospitalizations in the city are down slightly while there was a significant drop in patients in the ICU, to 75 from 86. There was a slight drop in patients who are on a ventilator.

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