Key Takeaways:
- Ontario reported 72 more COVID-19 deaths and fewer than 3,000 patients infected with the virus as hospitalizations and ICU capacity declined.
- Due to data cleanup, five deaths that occurred more than a month ago have been added to the total death toll today, according to the ministry.
- Ontario has reported 3,909 new coronavirus infections today, but health officials say the number is likely underestimated due to testing limitations.
As hospitalizations and ICU capacity continue to decline, Ontario reported 72 more COVID-19 deaths and fewer than 3,000 patients infected with the virus.
According to a Ministry of Health spokesperson, 67 of the most recent deaths occurred in the last 24 days, with four deaths on February 1, 18 deaths on January 31, 17 deaths on January 30, and 28 deaths in the days prior.
According to the ministry, five deaths that occurred more than a month ago were also added to the total death toll today due to data cleanup. The total number of people who have died due to the virus is now 11,576.
Long-term care home residents accounted for eleven of the most recent deaths.
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In addition, a COVID-19 outbreak is active in 329 homes in Ontario.
According to the ministry, 2,939 people in Ontario hospitals have the virus, down from 4,016 a week ago.
According to Health Minister Christine Elliott, 56% of patients were admitted for COVID-19, while 44% were admitted for some reason but tested positive for the virus.
555 people are in intensive care, likened to 608 a week ago, and 337 need a ventilator to breathe.
According to Elliott, 83% of ICU patients were admitted for COVID-19, while 17% were admitted for those certain reasons but tested positive.
According to the ministry, provincial labs processed more than 27,700 tests in the last 24 hours, yielding a positivity rate of 13.4%, down from 14.1 percent a week ago.
Today, Ontario reported 3,909 new coronavirus infections, but health officials say that number is likely underestimated due to testing limitations.
In the most recent cases, 2,643 people were fully vaccinated, 683 were unvaccinated, 164 were partially vaccinated, and 419 were unvaccinated.
Almost 89 percent of Ontarians aged five and up have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 83 percent have received two doses, and 46% have received three doses.
Following the lifting of some public health measures previously this week, Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table discharged new modeling that suggests hospital visits will likely “rebound” and remain at a “prolonged peak.”
Dr. Barry Pakes, York Region’s Medical Officer of Health, says it’s too soon to say whether an increase in hospitalizations will prompt a further lockdown in Ontario.
“They’re (hospitalizations) at the 3,000 patient mark in admissions,” he told CP24 on Wednesday, “which is best than 4,000 last week, but 1,000 greater than it was during the peak time during wave 3, so we’re still in a very tenuous position.”
“While we all, and I believe this includes everyone in our society literally, do not want any more lockdowns—and I sincerely hope and am reasonably confident that they will not—we don’t know at this point,” he added.
Indoor dining, gyms, and cinemas reopened on Monday after being closed since January 5 to prevent the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant.
The government’s phased reopening plan consists of three stages, each 21 days apart, with virtually all restrictions lifted by March 14, unless the government decides to halt the plan due to worsening trends.
Since January 2020, there have been 1,039,825 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases and 986,715 coronavirus recoveries in Ontario.
Source: CTV News
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