TORONTO – The pressure on the Ontario health system is easing: in one week, hospitalizations of people infected with Covid-19 dropped by 35%. Now 526 people with the virus are in hospital, 114 of them in intensive care. Yesterday they were 430 (116 in ICU), but last week, on the same day, they were 808 (140 in intensive care). Hospitalizations in Ontario have now been declining for several weeks, following the peak of the sixth wave of 1,730 inmates in late April. 

A number of epidemiologists and public health experts have said that transmission is likely to remain low during the summer months, but may begin to rise again in the fall. Against this backdrop, other public health indicators such as positivity rates and case counts also continue to decline and are now at levels not seen in months.

In the last 24 hours, 7.2% of the tests carried out (and reserved for the “at risk” categories) were positive: last week the positivity rate was 8.3% and two weeks ago at 9.1% .

Another declining number is that relating to active outbreaks in structures most exposed to infection: currently there are 74 active outbreaks in long-term care homes, 39 in retirement homes and 25 in hospitals, while last week the data were 115, 60 and 35 respectively.

The active and known cases are also decreasing: today they are 8,648, yesterday they were 8,884.

In the meantime, Ontario’s death toll continues to grow: deaths are the most “overdue” indicator of Covid-19 transmission and another 4 deaths were added today, bringing the total toll, from the beginning of the pandemic, in Ontario at 13,293. In the past seven days, there have been 52 deaths.

Meanwhile, the last masking “mandates” will expire this weekend. The obligatory use of the mask in the places where it had remained in force will in fact expire at midnight on 11 June.

Photo by Yoav Aziz on Unsplash