Ontario reports 564 new cases of COVID-19 Friday

Ontario has reported 564 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, marking the largest single-day increase since the outbreak began.

The province says 55 more people have died from the virus, bringing the total number of deaths in Ontario to 478.

Nearly 9,000 tests were completed Thursday but about 6,000 cases are still under investigation.

There have been 9,525 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in the province since Jan. 15.

As of Thursday, Niagara Region had 320 cases, Hamilton had 306 and Halton Region had 350.

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 grew slightly to 829, with 245 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Of those in the ICU, 200 are on a ventilator to assist with breathing.

The spread of the virus at long-term care homes in the province continues to be an ongoing problem, however, only two more facilities have declared an outbreak since Thursday.