TORONTO – Covid-19: another 32 deaths in Ontario, bringing the total from the beginning of the pandemic to 11,444, 11% of which – 1,250 – were reported in January 2022 which thus becomes one of the most “deadly” months since beginning of the pandemic. But according to data from the Ministry of Health, hospitalizations continue to decline steadily. 

Today 2,983 people were hospitalized with Covid-19, of which 583 in intensive care: the total number – which last week was 3,861 and yesterday 3,019 – therefore falls below 3 thousand. It should also be remembered, however, that the data from the beginning of the week are generally incomplete because some hospitals do not upload information during the weekend. The fact remains that there is a 28% decrease in hospitalizations compared to the peak of the fourth wave reached on 18 January when 4,183 people with Covid-19 were hospitalized.

Meanwhile, outbreaks continue to decline in the few environments where there is widespread access to molecular testing. As of Monday, there were 345 active outbreaks associated with long-term care homes, 244 associated with nursing homes and 201 associated with hospitals, a further 77 active outbreaks associated with shelters and 23 associated with correctional facilities – numbers all down about 15-30% compared to a week ago.

However, the number of tests carried out is now very low: 15,008 those of today, the lowest number of tests that have been conducted in 24 hours since last August 3. From today’s tests, 3,043 new cases of Covid-19 emerged in Ontario. According to the province’s epidemiological report, 603 infections were identified in Toronto, 431 in the Peel region and 175 in the York region. Other areas that have recorded more than 100 new cases of Covid-19 include Ottawa (201), Hamilton (173), Niagara (123), Durham (119), Halton (118) and Windsor-Essex (105). There are now 44,863 active and known cases in Ontario.

Finally, we summarize the situation of hospitalizations in Canada, province by province. The numbers are still high, but the trend seems to be heading in the direction of a decrease in hospitalizations. Here are the currently occupied beds for Covid-19: Ontario 2.983, Quebec 2.888, Alberta 1.496, British Columbia 990, Manitoba 606, Saskatchewan 349, New Brunswick 164, Nova Scotia 92, Newfoundland and Labrador 20, Prince Edward Island 19.

Image by Hermann Kollinger from Pixabay