Canada

Monkeypox in Ontario: 29 new cases reported; positivity so far is 32 percent

The province reported 29 new cases of monkeypox on Tuesday, with labs reporting an overall positivity rate of almost one in three since May.

There are now 478 known confirmed cases in the province, up from 449 last week.

Among the confirmed cases, 75 percent (359) were in Toronto residents.

Fifteen people have needed hospitalization since May, and two people have needed intensive care.

Seven other alleged cases are still under investigation.

Ontario Public Health told CP24 on Wednesday that as of Monday, 1,636 tests for monkeypox had been completed in the province, generating a current positivity rate of 31.6 percent.

There are now three confirmed cases in women, up from two last week, which still represents just 0.6 percent of all known cases.

Other areas of the province accounted for the remaining 25 percent of the case count, with Ottawa (36 cases), Middlesex-London (13 cases), Hamilton (11 cases) and Halton and Durham (9 cases each) leading the count elsewhere.

The most commonly reported symptoms continue to be rash, oral/genital lesions, fever and fatigue.

Earlier this week, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore said 20,000 Ontarians have so far received the Imvamune smallpox and monkeypox vaccine and that vaccination efforts are helping to slow transmission of the virus.

The City of Toronto continues to host vaccination clinics targeting the most vulnerable communities.

The US Centers for Disease Control says it is aware of more than 30,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox in 88 countries around the world.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says it is aware of 957 cases of monkeypox across Canada.

The virus is spread primarily through prolonged close contact via respiratory droplets, direct skin-to-skin contact, or contact with contaminated clothing or bedding.