Paramedics wearing protective gears are on duty in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on April 16, 2021. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
According to the Ontario government, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province continues to break records with 2,360 patients currently being treated.
OTTAWA, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Ontario, Canada's most populous province, reported 3,469 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, down from Monday's 4,447 cases, while its hospitalizations hit new heights.
Tuesday's report of 3,469 cases came after the province saw six straight days of more than 4,000 new cases each day. The province has confirmed a cumulative total of 424,911 cases of COVID-19, including 7,757 deaths and 374,213 recoveries.
According to the Ontario government on Tuesday, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province continues to break records with 2,360 patients currently being treated. Of those patients, 773 are in an intensive care unit, a number never before seen during the pandemic, and 537 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.
There are a total of 2,941 active cases of the coronavirus in Ontario. The seven-day average for number of cases reported is 4,318.
Ontario is currently under a province-wide stay-at-home order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 third wave. The order is set to expire on May 20 at the earliest.
A woman wearing a face mask walks past a closed school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on April 19, 2021. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Up to date, the province has reported 39,276 cases of the COVID-19 variant known as B.1.1.7 since February. With 2,697 more instances confirmed in the last 24 hours.
One additional case of B.1.351 was also reported Monday morning, bringing the case total to 105 while the count of P.1 infections remains unchanged at 211.
The province, with a population of 14 million, has administered 3,995,187 shots of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday morning. More than 347,000 people have received both their first and second shots against COVID-19.
The Ontario government said that its vaccine rollout has been hampered by supply issues from the Canadian federal government due to delays to two upcoming shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
As of Tuesday noon, Canada reported a cumulative total of 1,136,395 cases of COVID-19, including 23,706 deaths and 1,024,760 recoveries, according to CTV.
Canada's national-level data show a seven-day average of 8,680 new cases daily on April 13 to 19, a 7 percent increase compared to the previous seven days, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada on Tuesday.
A section of non-essential items is seen closed in a store in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on April 8, 2021. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Meanwhile, an average of 3,868 patients were being treated in hospitals each day during April 13 to 19, representing a 25 percent rise over last week.
As of Monday, a total of 66,159 variant of concern cases have been reported across Canada, including 63,543 involving B.1.1.7 variants, 2,201 P.1 variants and 415 B.1.351 variants. These represent the tip of the iceberg, as there are many thousands more COVID-19 cases that have screened positive for problematic mutations. ■
