TORONTO – Less infections, but also fewer tests to detect them. Ontario recorded 486 new cases of Covid-19 today, compared to 639 on Monday: a decline, therefore, after more than 600 cases had always been recorded in the last few days. However, the provincial government has announced that 17,369 tests have been processed in the last 24 hours (compared to 20,000 on Monday and 23,075 on Sunday) and that there is a backlog of 11,370 tests awaiting results. The positivity therefore remains high, at 3%. Last week it was 2.6%. 

Of the 486 new infections reported today, 279 concern unvaccinated people, 41 people partially vaccinated and 114 completely vaccinated, while for 52 people the vaccination status is unknown. As for the distribution of cases, 128 were registered in Toronto, 83 in the Peel region, 47 in Windsor-Essex and 45 each in the Hamilton and York regions. All other local health units reported fewer than 45 new cases. The seven-day average has now reached 600, up from both yesterday (581) and last week (473). A month ago, the average was 150.

The death toll in the province also rises, with another 18 deaths which, however, the health authorities underline, are mainly affirmed to deaths that have occurred previously and not yet registered. The total death toll in Ontario since the start of the pandemic is close to 10,000: 9,471.

The vaccines administered in the last 24 hours were 36,655 (13,230 for the first injection and 23,425 for the second injection). More than 9.7 million people are now fully immunized with two doses, or 75.1% of the eligible population (over 12 years old). The coverage of the first dose is 82.3 percent.

The hospitalization situation sees the presence of 295 people in Covid wards (+91 compared to the previous day) with 156 patients in intensive care units (+5) and 125 patients in intensive care with ventilators (+4). The majority of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated but there is always also a presence of vaccinated with both one and two doses.

The numbers remain, however, at the moment, more contained than those of the peak of the third wave, when the province had seen as many as 900 patients in intensive care. In total, 5,561 patients have been in intensive care in Ontario since the start of the pandemic, out of a total of 28,717 hospitalized patients.

Active cases of Covid-19 in Ontario now stand at 5,053, down from Monday when it was 5,126 but up from last August 17 (3,930). Even in this case, however, the numbers are still contained: at the peak of the second wave of coronavirus, in January, the active cases were more than 30,000 and in the third wave, in April, they exceeded 43,000.

Today, officials in Ontario listed the breakdown data by variants. Here they are. “Alpha” B.1.1.7 VOC (English variant: 145,839 cases, an increase of 95 compared to Monday). “Beta” B.1.351 VOC (South African variant): 1,500 cases (number unchanged). “Gamma” VOC P.1 (Brazilian variant): 5,221 cases (+2). “Delta” B.1.617.2 VOC (Indian variant): 7,665 cases (+291).

Moving on to Quebec, 345 new cases were detected here today (against 376 on Monday) of which 235 in unvaccinated people (68%), 57 in people who received a dose of the vaccine more than two weeks ago (17%) and 53 in people who received both doses more than a week ago (15%). Two deaths today (even if referred to previous days). As for hospitalizations, there are now 102 patients in Quebec hospitals (+14 compared to Monday, eleven of them unvaccinated) and of these 29 people are in intensive care units (-2). 

Photo by Irwan iwe on Unsplash