Top COVID-19 stories and news
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Province to consider expanding outdoor activities in grey zones
4 pm During his press briefing at a mass immunization site in Thorncliffe Park today, Premier Doug Ford was asked if he plans to expand the kind of outdoor activities that will be allowed in grey lockdown zones.
Top doctors in Toronto and Peel Region said last week they were in talks to modify the rules in grey zones to allow more outdoor activities but so far Queen’s Park has only change the rules to allow outdoor dining.
Are outdoor fitness classes and haircuts next?
“Those items are coming to cabinet tomorrow,” Ford said, adding that he’s nervous about the rise of fast-spreading variants. “It was really nice to get out in the nice weather but please, I can’t stress this enough, we have to be cautious.”
Ford announces financial help for seniors to get vaccines
3:45 pm Premier Doug Ford said today that the government will spend he $3.7 million in this year’s budget to help seniors and people with disabilities get COVID-19 vaccinations when transportation is a barrier.
“Ontario will work with local communities and public health units, to implement this vital service for those who need assistance,” the government said in a statement. “More details on how this program will work will be available in the coming days.”
The Ford government will announce the 2021 Ontario budget tomorrow.
Ontario reports over 1,500 new cases of COVID-19
10:30 am Ontario reported 1,546 new COVID-19 cases and nine more deaths on March 23.
The increase is lower than yesterday’s case count, but the seven-day average and testing positivity rate are continuing to rise.
The upward trend in these indicators has prompted Ontario’s top doctor to declare the province has officially entered a third wave in the pandemic.
The province confirmed 1,699 cases on Monday, 1,791 on Sunday, 1,829 on Saturday and 1,745 on Friday.
Today’s number is up from the 1,074 infections confirmed this time last week. The seven-day moving average for new cases – which experts consider a more accurate indication of virus spread – is now 1,667, compared with 1,334 last Tuesday.
Labs in the province completed nearly 32,600 tests in the past 24 hours. The positivity rate climbed to 5.7 per cent, up from 4.5 per cent this time last week.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations rose across the board in the past day. The province reported that 55 new COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals, for a total of 868. The number of patients in intensive care units jumped by 26 to 324. There are now 193 on ventilators.
The Greater Toronto Area continues reporting the highest daily case counts. On Monday, Premier Doug Ford likened the situation in Toronto and Peel Region and “inferno” and said vaccination efforts would be concentrated in those areas.
“Locally, there are 465 new cases in Toronto, 329 in Peel and 161 in York Region,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in the GTA, Durham Region reported 99 new infections, Halton Region had 64 and Hamilton confirmed 57.
Of today’s deaths, one was a long-term care home resident.
As of 8 pm last night, the province had administered 1,603,699 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario on March 23
The following regions reported five or more new COVID-19 cases:
Toronto = 465
Peel Region = 329
York Region = 161
Durham Region = 99
Halton Region = 64
Ottawa = 58
Hamilton = 57
Niagara Region = 39
Simcoe Muskoka = 38
Region of Waterloo = 31
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph = 23
Middlesex-London = 22
Windsor-Essex = 21
Lambton = 20
Sudbury & Districts = 15
Eastern Ontario = 15
Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District = 13
Haldimand-Norfolk = 13
Chatham-Kent = 12
Southwestern = 12
Thunder Bay = 10
Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington = 9
Grey Bruce = 8
