More than 500 Ontarians now in ICU as Omicron wave continues, 3,448 in hospital
Province logged 46 more deaths of those with COVID-19 related, pushing official toll to 10,445
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.