The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ontario has surged past 200 for the first time in three weeks.
Provincial public health officials reported 203 new cases on Tuesday thanks to upticks in Ottawa, Peel Region and Windsor-Essex. Each region reported 57, 43 and 24 new infections, respectively.
There were 30 more cases in Toronto.
Health Minister Christine Elliott also said 57 per cent of the new cases are among people under age 39.
“While one day of data, today’s increase is concerning,” Elliott tweeted. “Ontarians of all ages need to continue to adhere to public health guidelines: maintain only one social circle of 10 people, physically distance with anyone outside of it and wear a face covering when doing so is a challenge.”
The province reported 135 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and more than 160 on Saturday and Sunday.
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie clarified that Peel is migrating to a new data collection system and today’s uptick is part of a backlog.
She said Peel’s number is 22, including four new COVID-19 infections in Mississauga.
“We’ve flattened the curve in here Mississauga,” she said. “I’ve reported two days with zero increases, in fact. There is some household transmission of cases in certain pockets of our region and that will prevent us from moving to phase three for another week.”
Crombie added that she’s hopeful the province will move Peel and Toronto into stage 3 next week.
Since the outbreak began, the total number of cases in Ontario has reached 37,942. Of those, 33,605 – or 88.6 per cent – are resolved. The number of resolved cases went up by 92 since yesterday.
Today’s uptick comes after weeks of declines and as seven more public health units are set to move into stage 3 of Ontario’s reopening plan on Friday.
Toronto, Peel Region and Windsor-Essex will remain in stage 2. In stage 3, dine-in restaurants, bars, gyms, playgrounds, cinemas and most other businesses that shuttered in mid-March can reopen with health and safety protocols in place.
One more person has died in Ontario, bringing the death toll to 2,753.
There were 22,974 tests completed since yesterday and another 11,842 cases are under investigation.
Hospitalizations went up to 120, with 36 in intensive care and 23 in intensive care on ventilators.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
