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Ontario reports 1,268 new COVID cases Monday

The province has reported nine deaths, 1,114 recoveries, and 63 new hospitalizations as part of today's update
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Public Health Ontario has reported 1,268 new cases of COVID-19 today (March 15).

Today's report includes 1,114 recoveries and nine new deaths, including two people between 60 and 79 years old, and seven people aged 80 or older. Three of the deaths reported today were residents of long-term care homes. 

The province has reported 63 new hospitalizations since yesterday, and six new admissions of COVID-19 patients to intensive care units.

The March 15 update provided by the province's public health agency also reported the following data:

  • 12,528 active cases, which is up from 12,383 yesterday
  • 699 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario, up from 601 reported yesterday. 
  • There are 298 COVID patients in intensive care units (up from 282 yesterday) and 187 COVID patients on ventilators (up from 186 yesterday)
  • The province reported 33,975 tests were processed yesterday resulting in a 3.8 per cent positivity rate.
  • Another 10,954 tests are still under investigation and/or being processed. To date, 11.7 million tests have been completed.
  • Of the 1,268 new cases reported today, 366 are from Toronto, 220 cases are from Peel, 147 are from York Region, and 33 are from Simcoe-Muskoka
  • There are 74 active outbreaks at long-term care homes, 52 at retirement homes, and 29 at hospitals. 
  • The new cases reported today include 254 individuals aged 19 and under, 494 people between 20 and 39 years old, 335 people between 40 and 59 years old, 147 people between 60 and 79 years old, and 38 people aged 80 and over.

Variants of concern (Ontario-wide)

  • 1,106 lab-confirmed cases of the UK variant strain of COVID-19 (B.1.1.7). 
  • 44 cases of B.1.351 (also known as the South African variant).
  • 34 cases of P.1, which is the variant strain that originated in Brazil. 
  • Another 8,630 cases have screened positive with a mutation detected, but the lineage for the variant strain not yet detected.
  • According to Public Health Ontario, there are delays between specimen collection and the testing required to confirm a variant of concern. As such, the reports can change and can differ from past case counts publicly reported.

Vaccines

  • There were 33,198 doses of vaccines against COVID-19 administered on March 14, which is down from 41,859 administered on Mar. 13. 
  • As of 8 p.m. on March 14, the province reported 1,191,553 doses of vaccine against COVID-19 have been administered.
  • In total, 287,283 people have been fully vaccinated.

Public Health Ontario has confirmed 319,374 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and reported 299,684 recoveries and 7,162 deaths, of which 3,881 were individuals living in long-term care homes.

The cumulative average incidence rate in the province is 2,148.6 cases per 100,000 people in Ontario.

The weekly incidence rate in Ontario is 59.9 cases per 100,000 people, which is an increase of 15 per cent from last week (Feb. 27 - Mar. 5). 

In Northern Ontario, the breakdown of Public Health Ontario data is:

  • Algoma Public Health: 209 cases, rate of 182.6 per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 208 cases. There are 13 known active cases, including three people not from Algoma who are temporarily in the region. The region is in the yellow - protect zone.
  • North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit: 270 cases, rate of 208.1 per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 272 cases. There are five known active cases. There are two confirmed cases of the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7) variant, and 21 confirmed cases of the South African (B.1.351) variant of concern. There are 13 tests where variants have been detected but the strain is not known yet. The region is in the red - control zone.
  • Porcupine Health Unit: 344 cases, rate of 412.3 per 100,000 people. There is one known active case. There are two confirmed cases of the South African (B.1.351) variant of concern. There is one test where a variant has been detected but the strain is not known yet. The region is in the orange - restrict zone.
  • Public Health Sudbury and Districts: 1,004 cases, rate of 504.5 per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 1,011. There are 291 known active cases. There are three confirmed variants of concern (VOC) cases, both are the UK (B.1.1.7) strain. There are 177 tests where variants have been detected but the strain is not known yet. The region is in the grey - lockdown zone.
  • Timiskaming Health Unit: 106 cases, rate of 324.3 per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 107 cases. There are eight known active cases. There is one confirmed case of the South African (B.1.351) variant of concern. The region is in the orange - restrict zone.
  • Northwestern Health Unit: 576 cases, rate of 657 per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 580 cases. There are 88 known active cases. There is one confirmed case of the UK (B.1.1.7) variant. There are two tests where variants have been detected but the strain is not known yet. The region is in the red - control zone. 
  • Thunder Bay District Health Unit: 2,375 cases, rate of 1,583.8 per 100,000 people.  The health unit has reported 2,339 cases. There are 437 known active cases. There is one test where a variant has been detected but the strain is not known yet. The region is in the grey - lockdown level.

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Erika Engel

About the Author: Erika Engel

Erika regularly covers all things news in Collingwood as a reporter and editor. She has 15 years of experience as a local journalist
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