Ontario COVID-19 hospitalizations drop to 1,207, 23 deaths reported
Ontario COVID-19 hospitalizations drop to 1,207, 23 deaths reported
Ontario health officials are reporting 1,207 patients in hospital with COVID-19, along with 168 patients in intensive care units (ICU).
This marks a decrease in hospitalizations over Wednesday's 1,248 patients, while ICU capacity has increased day-over-day.
The province is also reporting 23 new deaths related to the virus Thursday. Twenty of the deaths occured in the last month, while three took place more than thirty days ago.
Of Thursday’s hospitalizations, 132 patients are unvaccinated and 786 are fully vaccinated. The vaccination status of the remaining patients is partial or unknown.
Thirty-nine per cent of patients hospitalized were admitted for COVID-19, while the remaining 61 per cent tested positive after an unrelated admission. In ICUs, those percentages are 62 per cent and 38 per cent, respectively.
Of the patients currently being treated for COVID-19 in Ontario ICUs, 22 are unvaccinated and 74 are fully vaccinated. The vaccination status of the remaining patients is partial or unknown.
The province reported 1,565 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, but health officials have warned that case numbers are a significant underestimation due to testing limitations.
With 15,462 tests processed in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health is reporting a positivity rating of at least 9.6 per cent. Ontario's positivity rate hasn't been this low since February.
Today's report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 1,291,814.
Background
The numbers used in this story are found in the Ontario Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Daily Epidemiologic Summary. The number of cases for any city or region may differ slightly from what is reported by the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Some emergency rooms across Canada shutting down amid staff shortages
Hospitals overwhelmed by the pandemic’s onslaught are still facing a number of challenges, causing unprecedented wait times in emergency rooms across the country.

'Defeated and discouraged': Airport frustrations sour Canadians' summer travel plans
CTVNews.ca asked Canadians to share their travel horror stories as cancelled flights, delays and lost luggage throw a wrench in Canadians' summer travel plans, due in part to staffing shortages at Canadian airports. Some report sleeping at airports and others say it took days to get to or from a destination.
Gunmen killed in Saanich bank shootout identified as twin brothers
Twin brothers in their early 20s were responsible for the shooting that injured numerous police officers at a bank in Saanich, B.C., earlier this week, RCMP alleged Saturday.
TD 'significantly' downgrades home sale, price forecasts
A new report from TD says Canadian home sales could fall by nearly one-quarter on average this year and remain low into 2023.
Dwindling salmon stocks mean endangered B.C. orcas are going hungry, researchers say
Researchers in British Columbia say the province's endangered southern resident orcas have not been getting enough food for years, with some of the worst bouts of hunger occurring since 2018.
Calgary's new 'Museum of Failures' aims to spark creativity
It's been said no one's success is complete without failure, but a new international exhibit in Calgary is proving that even some of the most talented innovators had some of the worst ideas for consumers.
Importing dogs from more than 100 countries to be banned in Canada
Animal rescue groups are criticizing a new policy by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that will ban the import of dogs from more than 100 countries.
Gas prices see long weekend drop in parts of Canada, but analysts say relief not likely to last
The Canada Day long weekend saw gas prices plummet in parts of the country, but the relief at the pumps may not stay for very long, analysts say. The decreases come after crude oil prices slid in June following the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes, sparking fears of a recession.
Anti-Taliban law could be tweaked to get more humanitarian aid to Afghans: minister
A law outlawing any dealings with the Taliban, which charities complain is impeding their ability to help needy Afghans, could be adjusted by the federal government to give more flexibility to aid agencies.