TORONTO – New cases and active infections continue to decrease in Ontario. Today, provincial health officials recorded 373 infections, down from 443 on Sunday and 458 on the same day a week ago. 108 of the cases involve fully vaccinated people, representing approximately 29% of all reported cases.

However, the seven-day moving average of new infections fell to 416, down from last Monday (530). Active known cases in Ontario are now 3,846, down from 4,491 a week ago.

Two more virus-related deaths have been confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the province’s Covid-19 death toll to 9,815.

With 20,432 tests completed in the last 24 hours, the provincial-level positivity rate is now 1.8 percent versus 1.4 percent yesterday with 27,395 swabs examined.

Of the new cases confirmed today, 71 are in the Peel region, 62 in Toronto and 36 in Ottawa.

ICU admissions have started to grow again, with 168 patients receiving care in Ontario ICUs, up from 155 a week ago.

Meanwhile, Ontario Critical Care Covid-19 Command Center announced today that the province will accept six critically ill patients from Saskatchewan (where hospitals are collapsing) within 72 hours. According to Cp24, a patient from Saskatchewan was arriving today at the Ottawa hospital. Today or tomorrow, three more patients will arrive at North Bay Regional Health Center, Markham-Stouffville Hospital and Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Two more patients are eventually expected to travel to Kingston Health Sciences Center and Humber River Regional Hospital tomorrow.

As of Sunday, Saskatchewan had 333 Covid-19 patients (75% of them not fully vaccinated) in hospitals, 84 of them in intensive care. Ontario has fewer patients than Saskatchewan in absolute terms, despite having a population twelve times as large.

In June and July, Ontario had hosted several Manitoba patient clinics where the healthcare system was in crisis. One of the patients had died on the journey of hope to Ontario.

Image by fernando zhiminaicela from Pixabay