Ontario reports 804 COVID-19 hospitalizations as province forges ahead with reopening plans
More than 3,000 new cases logged for 2nd day in a row despite limited testing
Ontario reported 804 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Friday with 167 of those patients requiring intensive care, as the province forges ahead with its reopening plans despite a spike in cases and hospitalizations.
The number of hospitalizations is slightly down from 807 on Thursday, but up from 667 one week ago.
The number of patients in intensive care is up by one from 166 reported yesterday, and up from 161 reported at this time last week.
According to the Ministry of Health, 49 per cent of people hospitalized were admitted specifically for treatment of symptoms brought on by the virus, while the rest were admitted for other reasons and then tested positive. Meanwhile, 71 per cent of people in ICU were admitted because of COVID-19, while the rest were admitted for other reasons and then tested positive for the virus.
Minister of Health Christine Elliott said Thursday the Ontario government has no plans to reintroduce mandatory masking or pause its reopening plans, even as a sixth wave of COVID-19 is underway in the province with hospitalizations on the rise.
Another 3,519 COVID-19 cases were reported through limited PCR testing Friday, with 17,468 tests completed the day before.
The number of cases is up again after surpassing the 3,000 mark on Thursday for the first time since Feb. 10. Modelling suggests the real figure to be 10 times the reported number.
Dr. Peter Jüni, who heads the province's COVID-19 science table, said Wednesday he estimates the real number of daily cases provincewide to be around 30,000 to 35,000, based on wastewater surveillance data.
There were also 18 more deaths reported by the province, bringing the total death toll in the province to 12,451.
Here are some other key pandemic indicators and figures from the Ministry of Health's daily provincial update:
Active cases: 22,076.
Provincewide test positivity rate: 16.4 per cent, up from Thursday's rate of 16 per cent.
Patients in ICU requiring a ventilator to breathe: 97.
Long-term care homes in outbreak: 65.
Vaccinations: 9,618 vaccine doses were administered on Thursday in Ontario with a total of 32,073,847 given out to date. Ninety per cent of Ontarians aged five or older have received at least one dose, while just over 86.5 per cent have received two doses.