TORONTO – More deaths and more hospitalizations: we have often called it a “swing”, that of the daily data on the pandemic, and so it is today: on Tuesday, Ontario confirmed another 11 deaths – which bring the total to the province, from the beginning, to 13,083 – against 2 yesterday, and 1,345 infected patients, a sharp increase from 1,122 in the previous 24 hours. 

Monday’s data, however, reflected a still incomplete census as 10% of hospitals do not report data over the weekend and only update it as of Tuesday. And, in any case, hospitalizations have decreased by 13% compared to the same day last week, when 1,555 people with Covid-19 were hospitalized.

Of the current patients, 165 are in intensive care, up from 159 a day ago but still below the number recorded on the same day last week: 188.

The Ministry of Health also provided further details about the status of patients: 38% of them were hospitalized due to Covid-19, 61% are in hospital for reasons unrelated to the virus and only later resulted while positive. As for intensive care, the relationship is reversed: 66% were hospitalized for the virus and 33% were hospitalized for other reasons but tested positive for the virus upon admission to hospital.

Today the provincial laboratories processed more than 12,200 tests (reserved for the “at risk” categories) which detected 1,028 infections, for a positive rate of 10.3%, down from 12.4% a week ago but in net increase compared to 7.7% yesterday.

Regarding the vaccine status of the last registered, 637 individuals received three doses of the vaccine, 185 received two doses, 135 were assigned or unvaccinated, and 7 have an unknown vaccine status.

The active and known cases decrease: from the 19,218 of yesterday to 18,270 today: even if this number is based exclusively on the “official” tests, currently reserved for protected categories, it is still significant that it has been steadily decreasing for now almost a month. Experts have repeatedly said, in recent days, that the infection is receding but that it is in any case good to continue to keep our guard up: the risk of reinfection is also possible.

Photo by Viki Mohamad on Unsplash