More than 500 Ontarians now in ICU as Omicron wave continues, 3,448 in hospital

Ontario reported a new high of 3,448patients in hospital with COVID-19 on Wednesday, a jump of over a thousand from the same day last week when there were 2,081 people hospitalized with the virus.

Of thosehospitalized with COVID-19,54 per centwere admitted tohospital seeking treatment for COVID-19, while 45per centwere admitted for other reasons but have tested positive for the illness, according to databythe Ministry of Health. That data does not list a breakdown for previous waves of the virus for comparison.

As of Wednesday, thereare505people with COVID-19 inICUs.That's an increase from 477patients the day before and up from288one week ago.

Approximately 83 per centwere admitted to the ICU seeking treatment forCOVID-19and 17 per centwere admitted for other reasons but have tested positive for the illness, according to the dataset.

The seven-day rolling average of ICU admissions linked to COVID-19now sits at 411.

Ontario reported at least 9,783new cases of the virus Wednesday.

As the province recentlychanged its guidelinesto significantly limit who qualifies for a PCR test, the case total for today is likely a drastic undercount of the real situation. Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table estimates that roughly one in five cases are currently being confirmed by the province's testing regime.

For the 56,420tests that were completed, Public Health Ontario reported a positivity rate of 20.3 per cent.

The healthministryalso recorded the deaths of 46more people with COVID-19,pushing Ontario's officialtoll to 10,445.

In a statement, a ministry spokesperson said that the 46deaths occurred"over the span of 12days" and were included in Wednesday's figures due a data catch-up by the province.

Spokesperson Alexandra Hilkenesaid the province is looking into updating its reporting to distinguish between COVID-19 related deaths.

"Due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, we are evaluating whether there is a need to update reporting to distinguish between causal and incidentaldeathsrelated to COVID-19," Hilkene said in an email on Wednesday.

"For example, we have heard anecdotal evidence of a small number of individuals receiving palliative care in congregate care settings who regrettably passed with COVID but not necessarily because of the virus."

At least 9,783 COVID-19 cases logged in Ontario

The casesconfirmed through the limited testing availableinclude:

• 1,675in Toronto
• 1,060in PeelRegion
• 964 in York Region
• 819 in Durham Region
• 721 in Hamilton
• 588in Ottawa
• 471in Waterloo Region
• 434in Halton Region
• 392in Windsor-Essex
• 349 in Simcoe Muskoka
• 307in Niagara Region
• 302in Middlesex-London
• 147in Brant County
• 146 in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph
• 134 in Sudbury
• 123 in Thunder Bay
• 117 in Southwestern
• 115in Eastern Ontario health unit
• 106 in Kingston,Frontenac and Lennox & Addington
• 100 in Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge
• 100 in Hastings Prince Edward

Meanwhile, public health units collectively administered another 56,420 doses of vaccines on Tuesday.

Roughly 82per centof Ontariansaged five and olderhave now received two doses of a COVID-19vaccine,and nearly 88 per centhave at least one dose, according to provincial data.