COVID-19 hospitalizations up sharply in Ontario, positivity rate at highest level since early May

Ontario is reporting another week-over-week increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations amid suggestions that the province has now entered a new wave of the pandemic driven by the more contagious BA.5 subvariant.

The latest data released by the Ministry of Health on Thursday afternoon shows that there are now 712 people in Ontario hospitals testing positive for COVID-19, including 110 individuals who are being treated in intensive care units.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is up nearly 22 per cent from this time last week and 46 per cent from two weeks ago.

It is the highest number of COVID patients in Ontario hospitals at one time since June 1. It is also a significant increase on the approximately 200 COVID patients who were taking up beds in Ontario hospitals last July.

Meanwhile, a total of 33 net new deaths were added to Ontario’s COVID-19 tally over the last week.

The new numbers come one day after Ontario’s Science Advisory Table announced that the province had entered a new wave of the pandemic.

The science table has said that while there is no evidence to suggest BA.5 “will lead to a rise in hospitalizations as large as previous waves,” any uptick is nonetheless a concern “when hospitals are already dealing with staff shortages and record wait times.”

“Masks to me are part of the solution and this is clearly a time where there's an enhanced value in using that mask in an indoor setting,” Science Table Head Dr. Fahad Razak told CP24 on Wednesday.

POSITIVITY RATES SPIKE

The latest data released by the ministry suggests that a number of public health indicators are now heading in the wrong direction after gradually improving for months.

The positivity rate on PCR testing over the last 24 hours hit 13.5 per cent, which is the highest that number has been since May 6.

Over the last seven days the average positivity rate was 12.3 per cent, up from 9.8 per cent on June 30 and 7.6 per cent on June 23.

The number of cases detected through PCR testing is also on the rise, though experts caution that the true number of infections is likely might higher due to limited eligibility.

Over the last week an average of 1,072 new cases were reported each day, up from 916 during the previous seven-day period.

The science table has said that about 80 per cent of public health units are experiencing exponential growth, likely due to the predominance of BA.5 which now accounts for about two-thirds of all cases in Ontario.