Ontario has recorded its highest level of new COVID cases since May. There were 478 news COVID cases recorded overnight and three fatalities. On May 8 when there were 477 new cases reporting, testing stood at 16,295 for a positivity rate of almost 3 percent. Yesterday with 478 new cases the province had conducted 34, 201 tests for a positivity rate of 1.4 percent, 68 percent of the new cases are in people under 40 years of age. There was a big jump in hospitalized cases from 65 to 82, but ICU and ventilated cases remained stable. Hamilton Public Health have not posted any case numbers since Friday but Provincial sources say Hamilton had 12 new cases overnight. Local hospitals are reporting no change in hospitalized cases.
Meanwhile Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expected to announce the province’s COVID-19 fall preparedness plan today. The premier has promised the plan will help the province grapple with a possible second wave of the novel coronavirus as daily virus case counts continue to rise in Ontario. Ford will be joined by Minister of Health Christine Elliott to make the announcement on Tuesday.
Ford has been under pressure to release the updated plan as opposition politicians say it should have come weeks earlier. Health Minister Christine Elliott says parts of the plan are currently being implemented, including increased testing capacity. The new plan comes as Ontario continues to struggle with long line ups at some of its 147 COVID-19 assessment centres. Ford has already announced that Ontario’s pharmacies will be stating to test asymptomatic patients to take pressure off the public health system.
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