Ontario sees fewest new COVID-19 cases in 8 months, vaccine doses surpass 10M

© Grant Linton/CBC More than 60 per cent of all Ontarians have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ontario reported 525 further cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the fewest on a single day in more than eight months, as the number of doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the province surpassed 10 million.

Labs completed just 15,117 tests and Public Health Ontario logged a positivity rate of 3.6 per cent, but today’s case count is well below last Monday, when 916 infections were confirmed with just over 18,000 tests done.

Week-over-week trends continue to decline overall. 

The rolling seven-day average of daily cases fell to 758, its lowest point since Oct. 21, 2020.

And there are about 7,937 active infections provincewide, down from the third-wave peak of nearly 43,000. 

Ontario: New daily cases of COVID-19

As of Sunday, there were 497 people with COVID-related illnesses being treated in intensive care units, marking the first time that figure has fallen below 500 since early April. Of those in ICUs, 339 patients needed a ventilator to breathe.

According to data from Critical Care Services Ontario, the average number of new daily admissions to ICUs continues to fall. 

The Ministry of Health recorded the deaths of 15 more people with the illness, pushing the official toll to 8,869.

Meanwhile, public health units collectively administered another 116,829 doses of COVID-19 vaccines yesterday, the most ever on a Sunday. 

More than 9,000,000 Ontarians, or about 61.2 per cent of the total population or 72 per cent of those aged 18 and older, have now had at least one shot. 

More Ontarians are also eligible to book their second dose of a vaccine through the provincial system today.

Those aged 70 and older, as well as people who received their first dose of an mRNA vaccine on or before April 18, can now book their second shot on the province’s website or through its phone line.