TORONTO – Covid-19: 661 people in Ontario hospitals today with Covid-19, including 165 intensive care inpatients. Therefore, the trend that has characterized the last few days is confirmed: ordinary hospitalizations on the rise (yesterday there were 611) and intensive care in decline (on Wednesday there were 174). Unfortunately, the trend of victims also remains almost unchanged: today another 10, bringing the total of Ontario from the beginning of the pandemic to 12,366. 

Today the province also recorded 2,561 new cases of Covid-19: in the Greater Toronto Area, provincial health officials found 565 in Toronto, 163 in the Peel region, 148 in the York region, 100 in the Durham region and 88 in the Halton region. And then: 146 in Simcoe Muskoka, 139 in Ottawa, 122 in Hamilton and 109 in the Kingston area. All other areas reported fewer than 100 new cases.

Active and known infections are now 16,831, up sharply from 16,270 just 24 hours earlier. If the data relating to the infections are not reliable, given the scarcity of the tests carried out, the trend is however evident: the infections are increasing, a sharp increase given that the balance between healings (today 1,990) and infections returns negative.

Among the infections recorded today, 34 were detected among the residents (and 7 among the staff) of long-term care facilities across Ontario and 3 of the 10 deaths concern residents of the same facilities. Currently, there are 72 nursing homes in which an outbreak is still active.

Hospitalizations also on the rise in Quebec: +28, after 127 patients were hospitalized and 99 were discharged. +7 instead in intensive therapists, with the total rising to 57. Of the new patients, 75 were vaccinated three times, 19 were vaccinated twice, 16 were not vaccinated, and 2 received a dose of the vaccine before hospital check-in. The vaccination status of 9 other patients is unknown, one is between the ages of 5 and 11 and was considered fully vaccinated and 5 are under 5 and therefore ineligible to receive the vaccine.

It is evident, from these data, that even vaccinated people can become infected but it is more likely that they end up in ordinary wards and in intensive care. What is certain is that Omicron’s BA.2 sub-variant is much more infectious than Omicron: provincial health officials have stated that they expect a further increase in patients in the coming weeks.

Moreover, the new cases are also increasing again: for the second consecutive day, Quebec today recorded more than 2,000 (2,295), despite the tests – as in Ontario – are limited only to the “at risk” categories. The positivity rate is now at 15%.

A further 1,096 cases (out of a total of 1,300 tests) were detected through the Quebec government portal, where citizens can enter the results of home-made do-it-yourself quick swabs. Of the 119,732 tests entered since the portal was activated nearly three months ago, 94,455 are positive. However, the active and known cases are officially 16,067: in any case increasing (+1,333) compared to 24 hours before. 14 victims were registered, bringing the total of Quebec since the beginning of the pandemic to 14,288.

Photo by Shengpengpeng Cai on Unsplash