Ontario reports 1,476 new COVID-19 cases and eight virus-related deaths

Ontario is reporting 1,476 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths from the virus. 

Health Minister Christine Elliott says 612 of the new cases are among people who aren’t fully vaccinated, while 93 people have an unknown immunization status. 

The province says 158 patients are in intensive care due to COVID-19, including 96 people on ventilators.

But not all hospitals report data on the weekend, and the province says the number of patients hospitalized with the virus could be higher. 

The province says 80 per cent of all residents aged five and older have at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 85 per cent are fully vaccinated. 

There are 62 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Ontario, and the province’s expert science advisory group estimates that 11 per cent of cases are caused by the new variant. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2021. 

The Canadian Press