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COVID-19 in Ontario<\/strong><\/p>\n Ontario reported 116 additional cases of COVID-19 on Friday, with just four public health units reporting five or more newly confirmed infections of the novel coronavirus.<\/p>\n After a one-day surge yesterday attributed to the targeted testing of temporary farm labourers in Windsor- Essex, today’s figure continues a five-week-long downward trend in new daily case numbers.<\/p>\n The new cases are concentrated in Toronto and the Peel, York and Windsor-Essex regions, with 23, 35, 14 and 10, respectively. Seventeen public health units reported no new cases at all.<\/p>\n Ontario has now seen a total of 36,464 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the outbreak began in late January. Of those, 88.2 per cent are considered resolved by the Ministry of Health. Another 178 infections were marked resolved in today’s update.<\/p>\n The number of patients in Ontario hospitals with confirmed infections of the novel coronavirus also continued a downward trend, with 117\u00a0\u2014 fewer than a fifth of the total at the beginning of June. Thirty-four are being treated in intensive care units, while 24 of those are on ventilators.<\/p>\n Ontario’s network of about 30 community, commercial and hospital labs processed 27, 484 test samples for the novel coronavirus yesterday. Positivity rates are at ‘all-time lows’ in the province, Minister of Health Christine Elliott said today.<\/p>\n The province reported another seven deaths on Friday, bringing its official death toll to 2,710. But a CBC News count based on data provided directly by public health units puts the actual toll at\u00a02,744\u00a0\u2014 an increase of two since Thursday evening.<\/p>\n Premier Doug Ford is set to make\u00a0multiple public appearances at businesses today to thank Ontario workers for their service during the pandemic.<\/p>\n Ford’s day started\u00a0at a skylight manufacturing company in Woodbridge, where the premier made an announcement alongside Vic Fedeli, minister of economic development.<\/p>\n The premier touted the near 378,000 jobs added in Ontario last month \u2014 a bounce-back\u00a0largely attributed\u00a0to the province reopening at the beginning of June,\u00a0unlike most of the rest of the country, which began to cautiously reopen in May.<\/p>\n “We got through to the worst of this pandemic,” Ford said Friday.<\/p>\n “As we recover\u00a0from the worst economic downturn of our lifetime \u2026 as we brace for what the future might hold, no more than ever we need to support our own.”<\/p>\n Ford said that’s the reason for the province supporting a new program called Ontario Made, launched by Canadian Manufacturers and\u00a0Exporters (CME), which allows\u00a0consumers to identify, access and purchase local products through a website.<\/p>\n “Over the past few months, plants and factories across the province retooled their operations to provide the front lines with the essential equipment needed in the fight against COVID-19, including PPE,” Fedeli said in a release issued Friday.<\/p>\n “[It]\u00a0is now more important than ever to support and promote Ontario’s world-class manufacturing sector and get people back to work.”<\/p>\n Ford is later\u00a0touring a Toronto-based textile company that retooled its facility to start producing face masks.<\/p>\n The premier will then visit a bakery in Toronto’s west end to serve customers through a take out window built by the shop.<\/p>\n Ford’s last event is scheduled at 4 p.m., when he’ll tour a dairy and food plant that ramped up production to meet customer needs during the COVID-19 lockdown.<\/p>\n CBC<\/p>\n378,000 jobs added in Ontario added last month<\/h2>\n