In its latest 24-hour stretch, Ontario health officials completed a record-high 24,341 tests for COVID-19.
It’s the closest the province has come to hitting its max capacity of 25,000 tests in a day. Throughout that process, Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott both tested negative for COVID-19, as the province identified 203 new patients.
The two Ontario officials were tested out of an “abundance of caution,” after being in close contact with Education Minister Stephen Lecce, who himself tested negative for the virus after being in contact with a COVID-19 patient.
For the first time since late-March, Ontario has now gone five straight days of recording less than 300 new daily cases of COVID-19.
Of its 31,544 total cases, there are 25,885 people who have recovered from the virus, an increase of 505 since Wednesday’s update. The Ministry of Health also reported 12 fatalities, increasing the death toll to 2,487. That means there are now 3,172 active cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, the fewest since April 8.
Of those who are currently infected, there are 538 people in hospital (down by 42), which includes 120 in intensive care (up by two) and 87 who require a ventilator.
According to the Ministry of Long-Term Care, there are 65 facilities that are currently experiencing outbreaks (down by three). Among those LTCs, there are 777 active cases among residents (down by 94) and 590 among staff (down by 40). Throughout the pandemic, 1,772 residents (up by six) and seven staff have died.
