Ontario COVID News: Province Sees Rise in Hospitalizations; positivity rate hits highest level since January
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has increased week over week, but admissions to intensive care units continue to decline in Ontario, according to data released by the province today.
Provincial health officials say there are now 655 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment in Ontario hospitals, up about 100 from last week.
This includes 158 people in intensive care, 23 fewer patients in intensive care than the number reported seven days ago.
Four more deaths have been added to the province’s cumulative total, bringing Ontario’s death toll from COVID-19 to 12,405. Three of today’s confirmed deaths occurred in the past month, while one death happened over a month ago.
Provincial labs have confirmed 1,741 new infections in the past 24 hours, a significant undercount given current testing restrictions. Of these confirmed cases today, 236 involve people who are not fully vaccinated, 442 involve people who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, 970 involve people who have received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and 93 involve people whose vaccination status is unknown. .
Just over 6,000 tests have been processed in the past 24 hours, resulting in a positivity rate of 17.9%, the highest since late January, when the province was at the height of the Omicron wave..
Officials have previously warned that COVID-19-related hospitalizations will likely increase by May, but not approach levels near those reported at Omicron’s peak.
Ontario’s Science Advisory Table said sewage data indicates transmission is on the rise again in all areas of the province after hitting a low earlier this month.
The increase in transmission follows the Ford government’s decision to lift most public health restrictions, including masking requirements in most public places and the provincial vaccination certificate program.
The numbers used in this story can be found in the Ontario Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Daily epidemiological summary. The number of cases for a city or region may differ slightly from what is reported by the province, as local units report numbers at different times.
