A woman in a mask walks in Yorkdale Mall in Toronto. There are now vending machines selling surgical and N95 masks as well sanitizer and gloves in the mall. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

New figures in Ontario provide ray of light–and hope–in COVID fight

For those looking for a bright spot in the fight against COVID-19, new data from Canada’s largest province might provide something of a ray of light.

Or, at the very least, hope.

Health officials in Ontario said Sunday they had recorded fewer than 100 new daily cases of the virus for a full week. 

That’s the first time that’s happened in several months,

Health minister Christine Elliott tweeted the good news.

The officials confirmed 79 additional cases of COVID-19 on Sunday after 70 new cases were logged on Saturday.

On July 29, the province recorded fewer than 100 new cases of the disease for the first time since the end of March. 

After a three-day uptick, the case count has continued to fall below the 100 mark for the past seven straight days.

Health officials also reported on Sunday that two more people have died due to COVID-19 in Ontario.

The total number of lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario now stands at 40,046, including 2,786 deaths and 36,279 recoveries.

There are currently 55 patients infected with the disease in Ontario hospitals. Of those patients, 26 are being treated in the intensive care unit and 12 of those are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.

COVID-19 CASES IN CANADA
The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:50 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2020: There are 119,451 confirmed cases in Canada. — Quebec: 60,471 confirmed (including 5,695 deaths, 50,886 resolved) — Ontario: 40,046 confirmed (including 2,786 deaths, 36,279 resolved) — Alberta: 11,430 confirmed (including 208 deaths, 10,097 resolved) — British Columbia: 3,934 confirmed (including 195 deaths, 3,353 resolved) — Saskatchewan: 1,445 confirmed (including 20 deaths, 1,257 resolved) — Nova Scotia: 1,071 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,006 resolved) — Manitoba: 527 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 352 resolved), 15 presumptive — Newfoundland and Labrador: 267 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 263 resolved) — New Brunswick: 176 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 168 resolved) — Prince Edward Island: 36 confirmed (including 36 resolved) — Yukon: 15 confirmed (including 13 resolved) — Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved) — Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved) — Nunavut: No confirmed cases — Total: 119,451 (15 presumptive, 119,436 confirmed including 8,981 deaths, 103,728 resolved) (The Canadian Press)

More than 2.4 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Ontario since the virus reached the province in late January.

And some more good news: the government announced Monday that The Windsor-Essex region will join the rest of Ontario in Stage 3 of the province’s reopening plan on Wednesday.

The Windsor-Essex region has been the site of major outbreaks among temporary foreign migrant workers on farms and in agribusinesses.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said he made the decision based on positive local trends, including lower transmission rates, a significant increase in testing and the local public health unit’s capacity to conduct rapid case and contact management.

Premier Doug Ford said the decision will allow more businesses to reopen and more people to return to work.

“As all of Ontario now enters into Stage 3, I ask everyone to remain on their guard and keep following the public health measures to protect the tremendous progress we’ve made and keep this deadly virus at bay,” the premier said in a statement.

With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press

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