After a brief drop yesterday, the daily increase in COVID-19 cases is again the highest it has been since the pandemic began.
Ontario public health reported 568 new cases today — a 5.7 per cent increase — which is a few cases higher than the last daily record of 564 cases reported April 17. Yesterday, the province reported 485 new cases.
There have now been 10,578 COVID-19 cases confirmed through lab testing in Ontario, including 5,209 recoveries (49.2 per cent) and 553 deaths (5.2 per cent).
The province reported an additional 39 deaths today.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases also continues to soar in York Region, with another 66 cases yesterday bringing its total to 1,034, with another death in Vaughan among 47 fatalities.
Cases in Newmarket also continue to steadily climb, with six more cases yesterday bringing its total to 87, with 10 cases resolved.
COVID-19 cases acquired as a result of an institutional outbreak has become the major cause of transmission in Newmarket, with 40 individuals — or 46 per cent — infected in a long-term care home or community care setting.
The province is reporting 112 outbreaks at long-term care homes in Ontario, and 31 outbreaks at hospitals. There have been 240 long-term care home patient and resident deaths attributed to COVID-19 and one death, a Markham personal support worker who was employed at a long-term care home in Scarbourough.
Testing rates continue to rise with 9,643 tests completed for this reporting period.
There are 5,736 tests awaiting results, and, in total, there have been 156,097 tests completed in Ontario.
There are now 809 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, and of those, 247 people are in intensive care units. There are 196 people with COVID-19 on ventilators.
There have been 1,179 (11.1 per cent of all cases) COVID-19 cases confirmed in health-care workers, though it is not clear how many of those were transmitted to staff through their workplaces.
The province is reporting about 28.4 per cent of cases are community transmission, and 11.7 per cent were confirmed in people with a travel history. Another 17.9 per cent of cases are attributed to close contact, and for the remaining 42 per cent the source of transmission is pending.
All data included in Ontario's daily report is current as of 4 p.m. yesterday.
Yesterday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said updated public health modelling numbers will be revealed tomorrow, which is likely to impact the public health measures in place over the coming weeks and months.
The premier, along with Ross Romano, minister of colleges and universities, also announced $20 million in research funding dedicated to helping to develop a vaccine for COVID-19.
The province says the COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund is now seeking proposals from research institutions, post-secondary institutions and non-profit scientific partners to advance medical research and develop tools and resources to combat COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
— With files from Debora Kelly
