Ontario confirms highest number of new COVID-19 cases so far this month

After many consecutive days with case numbers remaining below the 100 mark, Ontario health officials are reporting 125 new cases of COVID-19 in the province.

This update represents the highest daily increase confirmed in the province since July 31, and Minister of Health Christine Elliott said the uptick is the result of localized increases in Peel, Toronto and Windsor-Essex.

Tuesday morning, Elliott tweeted that there are 17 new cases in Peel, 27 in Toronto and 28 in Windsor-Essex. Still, 27 of the province's 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, while 16 are reporting none at all.

Ontario is reporting 125 cases of #COVID19, an uptick over recent days and largely the result of localized increases with 17 cases in Peel, 27 in Toronto and 28 in Windsor-Essex. Today, 27 of 34 PHUs are still reporting five or fewer cases, with 16 of them reporting no new cases.

— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) August 18, 2020

Sadly, four additional deaths have also been confirmed, according to the province's daily Epidemiologic Summary, bringing the total COVID-19 death toll to 2,793. 

Another 90 cases are also considered to be resolved today, leaving just 951 active cases in the province. 

A closer look at #COVIDー19 daily changes in #Ontario

New cases: 125
New deaths: 4
New resolved: 90

Thicker lines = 7 day moving averages.#COVID19 #COVID19ON #covid19Canada pic.twitter.com/0zUZdaerNH

— Dr. Jennifer Kwan (@jkwan_md) August 18, 2020

Testing rates, meanwhile, remain decently high, with 23,067 tests processed within Ontario yesterday.

Health officials and Premier Doug Ford have indicated that they won't hesitate to reintroduce stricter safety measures if a concerning spike in cases is observed now that the entire province has entered Stage 3 of reopening, but this would require a repeated pattern to emerge beyond just a single-day surge.