TORONTO – The number of hospitalized is decreasing: today there are 1,207 patients in hospital with Covid-19, of which 168 in intensive care. This marks a decrease in hospitalizations compared to 1,248 patients on Wednesday and 1,451 a week ago, while there are 3 more patients in intensive care than yesterday but 7 fewer than a week ago. 71 patients breathe with the help of a ventilator, 5 fewer than on Wednesday and 4 fewer than a week ago. 

Also recorded, today, 23 deaths related to Covid-19: one of the dead people was between 20 and 39 years old. In the last seven days, the victims have been 102 (488 in the last thirty days). The total death toll related to Covid-19 in Ontario since the start of the pandemic is now 13,122.

Today Ontario recorded 1,565 new cases, based on 15,462 tests processed in the last 24 hours and reserved only for “at risk” categories, so the number is not very indicative given the small “audience” of screening, but the positivity index is now at 9.6 percent and only last February 28 it was so low. The constant drop in active and known cases is also comforting, going from 17.572 yesterday to 16.910 today.

Infection prevention specialist Dr Susy Hota says all reliable indicators still suggest the picture is improving in most of the province. “It appears that things have at least stabilized somewhat and continue to decline in sewage surveillance in most of the province”, she told CP24. “But in the North we are actually seeing increasing rates of COVID-19”. The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, citing wastewater surveillance data, also suggests viral prevalence is stable or declining in all areas of the province except the North.

Photo by Amir Arabshahi on Unsplash