Ontario reports 649 new cases as toll eases in Toronto, Ottawa

Ontario reported 649 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, as the toll ticked down from Friday’s high of 939 new infections.

There were 140 new cases in T Toronto, well short of Satur- day’s count of 358.

Ottawa also saw new cases decline to 54 on Sunday, while the spread remains steady in Peel

Region with 157 new cases.

The province is reporting one new death related to the virus, down from seven reported on Saturday.

Health authorities say they’ve conducted 44,138 tests since the last daily report, but Tthere’s still a backlog of 45,837 tests.

The government says at least 217 people are in hospital with COVID-19 — including 51 in intensive care and 32 on ventilators — but not all medical centres have shared their numbers. With daily case counts continuing to rise in some provinces, increased restrictions came into effect in several hot spots heading into the long weekend. In Quebec, which reported 942 new cases Sunday, nearly every community along the St. Lawrence River is now considered a “red zone.” Premier François Legault has entreated Quebecers to put public health before the desire to host large holiday gatherings. In New Brunswick, there were 14 new cases, bringing the prov- ince’s total number of active cases to 71. The cases are all linked to ongoing outbreaks in the Campbellton and Moncton regions, according to a news release from the province’s department of public health.

The province also has its third school reporting a confirmed case: L.E. Reinsborough, an elementary school in Dalhousie, posted a notice on Facebook page Sunday morning, saying it’s working with health officials to identify any students, teachers or staff who may have been exposed to the virus.