Ontario reported 164 new cases, three deaths and 113 resolved cases in its latest 24-hour stretch.
The announcement comes a day after the province recorded 166 cases, for a two-day total of 330. It’s the most the province has recorded in a two-day stretch since June 29-30, when it logged 414 cases.
Of the recently identified 164 cases, 80 of them were diagnosed in public health units part of the Greater Toronto Area and 37 in Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. Twenty-eight of Ontario’s 34 public health units reported five or fewer cases, while 15 reported no new patients at all.
The latest cases were identified after labs administered 26,890 tests for COVID-19, which is above Ontario’s seven-day average of 24,972.
The agri-farm sector in Windsor-Essex continues to produce new cases of COVID-19, with four outbreaks in Kingsville and two in Leamington. Of the 38 patients identified in the region’s latest 24-hour stretch, 19 are part of the agri-farm sector. Nine are the result of community spread, which has been gaining pace in the region.
The latest update comes a day after the region recorded 47 cases, including 41 in the agri-farm sector. Throughout the pandemic, Windsor-Essex has had 1,964 confirmed cases, with 915 of them in the agri-farm sector, according to local health officials.
Many of the infections have been among migrant workers, who have been subject to inadequate living and working conditions. Two of the three migrant workers who have died in Ontario throughout the COVID-19 pandemic were in the Windsor-Essex region.
Windsor-Essex’s infection rate of 458.8 per 100,000 people is the highest in Ontario, according to the Ministry of Health. Toronto, where there have been 13,876 cases as of Sunday, has the second-highest with 444.7, while Ontario’s average stands at 253.
Windsor-Essex was one of 10 regions that was not allowed to enter Stage 3 of Ontario’s reopening plan on Friday. Kingsville and Leamington were the final two areas to make the transition to Stage 2 on July 7.
Throughout the pandemic, Ontario has reported 37,604 cases of COVID-19. That includes 33,407 recovered patients and 2,751 victims. For the second straight day, the province’s active case count has risen, this time to 2,751.
Among those active patients are 101 people in hospital (down by four since Saturday), which includes 34 in intensive care (up by one) and 23 who require a ventilator (up by one).
According to the Ministry of Long-Term Care, there are 17 outbreaks among facilities around the province. As of Sunday, 40 residents are infected (up by one), and 60 staff members (down by three).
