18 deaths reported as Ontario's new COVID-19 cases climb again

The Government of Ontario confirmed 1,371 new COVID-19 cases on Friday morning and 18 more virus-related deaths.

Friday’s cases are an increase from Thursday’s 1,092, Wednesday’s 1,316, and Tuesday’s 1,185, but less than Monday’s 1,631.

The province is reporting 1,124 resolved cases.

Of the newly announced cases, 371 are in Toronto, 225 are in Peel, and 111 are in York Region.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said over 64,600 tests were completed, and 1,062,910 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered.

Ontario is reporting 1,371 cases of #COVID19 and over 64,600 tests completed. Locally, there are 371 new cases in Toronto, 225 in Peel, 111 in York Region and 109 in Hamilton.

As of 8:00 p.m. yesterday, 1,062,910 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) March 12, 2021

On Monday, March 8, the Stay at Home orders were lifted in Toronto, Peel Region, and North Bay-Parry Sound at 12 am. All three regions entered the Grey Zone of Ontario’s reopening framework.

In the Grey Zone, retail is permitted to reopen at 25% capacity, but indoor gatherings are not permitted.

All of Ontario’s 34 regions have now reentered the colour-coded framework.

On Thursday, Ontario’s health officials said that COVID-19 cases in the province are increasing across most public health units, and ramping up the vaccination process is how the pandemic can resolve.

To date, Ontario has seen 314,891 COVID-19 cases and 7,127 virus-related deaths.