TORONTO – Covid-19: the number of hospitalized in Ontario still drops, but the number of victims remains high: today another 19 bringing the total from the beginning of the pandemic to 12,307. Even today, however, it is not known which deaths, of those in recent days, were caused by the virus and which by other diseases with the virus in coexistence: the provincial health authorities did not specify this, contrary to what they had announced last week. 

The beds occupied by Covid-patients in the hospitals of the province fell today to 644 (yesterday they were 649), while the number of inpatients in intensive care fell below 200 for the first time this year: they are 199 from 204 on Wednesday, of which 75% are hospitalized for Covid-19: 25%, on the other hand, are in the ICU for other diseases but also have the virus. Of the patients in the ordinary wards, however, 47% were hospitalized due to the virus while 53% tested positive after being hospitalized for other reasons.

As for infections, another 2,398 cases were recorded today, identified through 14,648 tests (limited only to the “at risk” categories) with a positivity rate of 12.3%.

Quebec also reported a decline in hospitalizations, including those in intensive care, but added another 19 deaths to the tragic toll which now has 14,232 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The hospitalizations, we said, dropped to 1,034 after 63 people were hospitalized and 102 people were discharged in the last 24 hours. 6 fewer inpatients in intensive care, for a total of 50.

On the contagion front, 1,462 people tested positive today, but as is known even here the tests are limited only to the “at risk” categories. The data of the portal set up by the French-speaking province to allow citizens to enter the results of the do-it-yourself tests carried out at home are more significant: of the 493 results of the rapid tests uploaded to the database on Wednesday, 396 were positive. Since the portal was activated, about two months ago, 110,789 rapid tests have been inserted, of which 86,749 positive. The number of active and known cases in Quebec, however, is officially 13,238 (+534 in the last 24 hours). today the positivity rate was 11.6%.

Manitoba recorded 2 deaths today, bringing the total death toll since the start of the pandemic to 1,723. In the province, 395 people are now hospitalized, 17 of them in intensive care. There are 4,213 active and known cases, the positivity rate is 14.3%.

In Alberta hospitalizations are once again below one thousand: on Wednesday (latest data available) the number of beds occupied were 989 (12 less than on Tuesday), of which 70 inpatients in intensive care (the same as on Tuesday). However, the active and known cases rise, from 6,422 on Tuesday to 6,449 on Wednesday. The last positive rate recorded – Wednesday – is very high: 20%.

Meanwhile, as previously announced, starting from 1 April fully vaccinated travelers will no longer have to provide a negative result on the Covid-test before entering Canada by air, land or sea. The elimination of the test requirement had already been anticipated in recent days by the federal government and was confirmed today. Passengers may still be subjected to mandatory random testing at the airport, however, but they will not be required to isolate themselves pending the results. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travelers, on the other hand, will still have to isolate themselves and be tested on arrival and again eight days later. All travelers, vaccinated and unvaccinated, will still need to use the ArriveCAN app to enter proof of vaccination and other required information before arriving in Canada. Travelers arriving without completing their ArriveCAN application may need to test on arrival and quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status.

Photo by Graham Ruttan on Unsplash