News Ontario reports close to 3,000 new COVID-19 cases and record number of deaths SHARE ON: Casey Kenny, staff Friday, Jan. 15th, 2021 (Supplied by Pixabay) Ontario is reporting close to 3,000 new COVID-19 cases and a record number of deaths. The province added 2,998 cases on Friday along with 100 deaths which is a single-day high. Sixty-six per cent of the new cases are in the hotspots around the GTHA, southern Ontario and Niagara. A record-breaking 76,474 tests were completed over the last day. The per cent positivity rate also fell to 4.6 per cent, the lowest it’s been since Boxing Day.