Another 42 virus-related deaths have been reported in Ontario, as the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals continues to decline week after week.
According to provincial health officials, there are presently 2,254 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, down from 3,091 just one week earlier. The number of patients with the virus getting treatment in intensive care units has also decreased to 474, down roughly 100 from last Tuesday’s figure.
According to the province, 56 per cent of hospitalized patients testing positive for COVID-19 were admitted due to the virus while 44 per cent were admitted for other reasons. In the ICU, 82 per cent were admitted for COVID-19 and 18 per cent were admitted for other conditions but have tested positive.
The province says of the 42 new deaths logged today, three occurred on Feb. 7, 10 occurred on Feb. 6, 15 occurred on Feb. 5 and the remaining occurred on preceding days. All 42 deaths occurred within the last 26 days.
In the epidemiological summary released Tuesday, the province cautioned that “data for hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and deaths in the most recent reporting period should be interpreted with caution due to data entry and reporting lags.”
Another 2,092 cases were confirmed by provincial labs today, a significant undercount due to testing restrictions. This is down from 2,622 last week. With 15,788 tests processed over the past 24 hours, officials are reporting a provincewide positivity rate of 14.2 per cent, down from 16.2 per cent last week.
Of the new cases confirmed today, 362 involve people who are unvaccinated, 92 involve people who are partially vaccinated, 1,402 involve those who have received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 236 involve people with an unknown vaccination status.
There are presently 277 active COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities, down from 335 a week ago. The number of hospital breakouts has decreased from 187 on Tuesday to 139 today.
Some limits at Ontario long-term care facilities were relaxed on Monday, allowing residents to name four critical caregivers, up from two during Omicron’s peak. Residents who have had three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can now go on social outings again.
Source_ cp24.com
