Key takeaways:
- Following further investigation, more than 400 deaths were removed from Ontario’s official COVID-19 count after it was discovered that the causes of those deaths were unrelated to the disease.
- Intensive care patients account for 238 of the reported hospitalizations, down from 244 on Thursday and 262 a week ago.
More than 400 deaths have been removed from Ontario’s official COVID-19 count after further investigation revealed that the causes of those deaths were unrelated to the disease.
Since January 15, 2020, a total of 12,227 people with COVID-19 have died, according to the Ministry of Health, down from yesterday’s sum of 12,638 reported by Public Health Ontario.
“On March 11, 2022, the COVID-19 death count was shifted to exclude fatal cases of COVID-19 in which the cause of death was noticed to be unrelated to COVID-19,” according to a note on the ministry’s website explaining the methodology change.
“As a result, the total counts have been reduced by several deaths.”
Also read: After March 21, Ontario Premier Doug Ford lays out where he will wear a mask
Beginning on Friday, the province will report COVID-19 deaths differently. COVID-19 caused a passing, contributed to death, and was not the “underlying cause,” If an individual’s cause of death is unknown or missing, the province will use the new method to categorize the number of new deaths into three categories.
COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic for 2 years.
The change comes as Canada commemorates the second anniversary of the World Health Organization’s official declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
“I offer my sincere as well as heartfelt condolences to the friends, families, as well as communities who have lost loved ones,” Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted Friday morning.
Meanwhile, 717 people with COVID-19 were admitted to hospitals in Ontario on Friday. The number of hospitalizations reported today is down from 742 reported on Thursday. COVID-19 infected 821 people in hospitals on Friday.
According to Elliott, 46% of patients were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19, while 54% were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for the virus later on.
There are 238 patients in intensive care among the hospitalizations reported, down from 244 on Thursday and 262 one week ago.
COVID-19 was 76 percent of ICU admissions, while 24 percent were admitted for some reason but later tested positive.
The Ministry of Health also reported 2,130 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, despite Dr. Kieran Moore, the chief medical officer of health, warning last week that the actual number of new cases per day is likely 10 times higher than what is being reported due to limited PCR testing.
The mask requires lifting on March 21
On Wednesday, the province declared that on March 21, mask mandates would be lifted in schools, restaurants, gyms, and stores across the province.
Moore stated that the province closely monitors COVID-19 data as it moves toward easing additional public health measures.
“We expect the transmission to continue throughout Ontario, so the threat does not go away.” On Thursday, Moore informed CBC Radio’s Metro Morning.
“It’s just that we’re in a much better position to remove the mask mandate now that we have such a high immunization rate.”
Source: CTV news
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