Ontario reports over 170 new COVID-19 cases with 37 in Toronto

The Government of Ontario confirmed 176 new COVID-19 cases and three virus-related deaths on Saturday morning.

Today’s cases are higher than Friday’s 159, Thursday’s 143, Wednesday’s 153, Tuesday’s 146, Monday’s 114, and Sunday’s 166.

Of the newly announced cases, 37 are in Toronto, 20 are in Peel Region, and 11 are in York Region.

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Health Minister Christine Elliott said nearly 21,400 tests were completed, and 17,979,575 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Ontario is reporting 176 cases of #COVID19 and nearly 21,400 tests completed. Locally, there are 37 new cases in Toronto, 20 in the Region of Waterloo, 20 in Peel Region, 15 in Grey Bruce and 11 in York Region.

— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) July 17, 2021

Ontario entered Step 3 of its COVID-19 reopening plan on Friday.

The move allows gyms, fitness studios, and indoor dining to reopen. Indoor gatherings can now have a maximum of 25 people, and up to 100 people can gather outdoors.

The province will remain in Step 3 for at least 21 days, or until key public health indicators are met, such as having 75% of Ontarians aged 12 and over fully vaccinated.

Dr. Kieran Moore, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, has said that once those benchmarks are met, the “vast majority” of public health and workplace safety measures can be lifted.

These include indoor and outdoor capacity limits and gathering restrictions. Only a small number of measures will remain in place, including passive screening for COVID-19.

To date, Ontario has seen 548,040 COVID-19 cases and 9,288 deaths.