Ontario logs 563 new COVID-19 cases marking 5th straight day of week-over-week jumps

Ontario reported 563 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, marking a fifth straight day of week-over-week increases in daily case counts.

Today's total is about a 34 per cent jump over Friday last week, when the province logged 419 cases.

Because testing levels in Ontario are generally cyclical, it's often most illuminating to compare the same days of the week when identifying potential trends in pandemic data.

Monday through Thursday also saw week-over-week increases, and today isthe first time new cases have topped 500 since Oct. 5.

The seven-day average of daily infections rose to 404, climbing above 400 for the first time in two weeks. A nearly two-months-long period of consistent decline in the seven-day average is now firmly in reverse.

Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table now estimates the province's effective reproduction number at 1.09, meaning transmission of the virus is once again growing exponentially after a sustained period of contraction.

So far, the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines has helped to keep the burden on intensive care units steady. As of Thursday evening, there were 129 patients being treated for COVID-related illnesses in the province's ICUs. Of those, 81 relied on a ventilator to breathe.

Here are some key pandemic indicators and figures from theMinistry of Health's daily provincial update:

Newly reported school-related cases: 67, including 59students and sixstaff members. Four of the province's 4,844 publicly-funded schools are currently closed due to COVID-19.

Tests completed in previous24 hours: 30,187, with a 1.8per cent provincewidepositivity rate.

Active cases:3,395, the most in about two weeks.

Newly reported deaths: Five, pushing the official toll to 9,896.

Vaccinations: 15,901 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered Thursday.About 84.9per cent of eligible Ontarians, those aged 12 and older, have now had two doses of vaccine.