Ontario reports highest COVID-19 case count in over six weeks

The Government of Ontario confirmed 1,745 new COVID-19 cases on Friday morning — the highest case count since February 1, when 1,969 were reported.

Friday’s cases are an increase from Thursday’s 1,553, Wednesday’s 1,508, Tuesday’s 1,074 and Monday’s 1,268 but lower than Sunday’s 1,747, which was high due to a data back-up issue.

The province also reported 10 more virus-related deaths and 1,296 resolved cases.

Of the newly announced cases, 404 are in Toronto, 294 are in Peel, and 176 are in York Region.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said over 56,100 tests were completed, and 1,420,599 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered.

Ontario is reporting 1,745 cases of #COVID19 and over 56,100 tests completed. Locally, there are 478 new cases in Toronto, 344 in Peel, 174 in York Region and 116 in Hamilton.

As of 8:00 p.m. yesterday, 1,420,599 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) March 19, 2021

The province launched its online COVID-19 vaccine booking system on March 15.

On March 8, the Stay at Home orders were lifted in Toronto, Peel Region, and North Bay-Parry Sound at 12 am with all three regions in 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.

Last week, 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 325,254 COVID-19 cases and 7,212 virus-related deaths.