TORONTO – The virus does not give up in Ontario: despite the comforting data of the last few weeks, today’s numbers show a growing with another 20 deaths and 779 patients with Covid-19 in the hospitals of the province, down from 914 last week but in sharp increase compared to 693 on Monday and 684 on Sunday. Of the 779 patients currently in hospital, 246 are in intensive care, a number down from the 278 on last Tuesday and also on Monday’s 249. 

Meanwhile, another 1,208 cases have been detected by the provincial laboratories, a slight increase compared to the 1,176 of seven days ago, even if these numbers are not very reliable due to the limitation of tests to the “at risk” categories only. 11,128 molecular swabs analyzed in the last 24 hours, with a positivity rate of 11.2%, up from 10.3% last Tuesday.

Most of the new cases reported on Tuesday were identified in Toronto (242), Ottawa (76) and the Peel region (76). Other areas with a number of elevator-related cases include Simcoe Muskoka (72), Windsor-Essex (56), and York Region (55). The active and known cases in Ontario are now 16,237.

Numerous deaths also in Alberta: 18 during the last weekend. The number of patients in hospitals continues to fall, albeit slow: there are still 1,103 hospitalized patients, 77 of whom are in intensive care. Active and known cases in Alberta are now 7,200, after another 1,113 infections were confirmed over the weekend. But even here the limits to the tests let us assume that the actual number is much higher.

The situation is no different in Quebec, where as many as 29 deaths were recorded today. There are 1,252 hospitalized in hospitals in the province, of which 77 in intensive care units: numbers substantially stable compared to previous days. Out of 10,572 molecular samples analyzed, 935 were positive, with a positivity rate of 9.9%.

The active and known cases in Quebec are now 12,701. But, as with the other provinces, story number represents only the tip of the iceberg. This is demonstrated by the numbers of self-declarations made by citizens in the portal activated by the Quebec government to allow citizens to enter the results of quick do-it-yourself tests performed at home. Well, out of 103,968 texts entered, 81,170 are positive: only yesterday, 292 out of 398. The virus is still running.

In the pic: the Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge, Alberta (photo by Graham Ruttan on Unsplash)