Ontario health officials are reporting a drop in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations on Saturday as ICU admissions linked to the virus climb.
The 4,026 patients currently in hospital represent a decrease over the 4,114 patients reported a day earlier. Meanwhile, ICU admissions rose from 590 to 600.
Of those 4,026 patients, 56 per cent were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 and 44 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have since tested positive for the virus, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott.
Most of the patients in hospital are fully vaccinated at 2,079, while 783 are unvaccinated, and 194 are partially vaccinated. No vaccination information was provided for the remaining 970 hospitalized patients.
In the ICU, 81 per cent of patients were admitted for COVID-19 and 19 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19 after their admission.
Data released by the government shows that 227 patients in the ICU are fully vaccinated, 216 are unvaccinated, and 17 are partially vaccinated. The vaccination status of the remaining 140 patients is unknown, according to the government.
Another 6,473 cases of COVID-19 were reported across Ontario since yesterday, though officials have said that number is likely an underestimate due to limited testing availability.
With 36,396 tests processed in the last 24 hours, Ontario’s COVID-19 positivity rate is 15.9 per cent.
The Ministry of Health says that 47 deaths linked to COVID-19 were reported on Saturday, though they say that number only includes deaths that have occurred in the last month.
At least one of the deaths reported today involved a person under the age of 19, although the age of that individual and the public health unit reporting their death was not disclosed.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ontario has seen 990,832 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 10,912 deaths and 908,533 recoveries.
On Thursday, the province announced that public health measures introduced earlier this month aimed at slowing the Omicron-fuelled spread of COVID-19, including the closure of indoor dining and the suspension of operations at gyms, will begin to lift on Jan. 31.
Each step of the province’s three-step plan to gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions will be separated by 21 days in order for the province to monitor public health trends.
Most of the cases reported by the province on Saturday were found in Toronto (1,118), Peel Region (820), Ottawa (469), and York Region (452).
Other areas with relatively high COVID-19 case counts reported today include Halton Region (304), Windsor-Essex (303), Durham Region (290), and Waterloo (261).
According to Elliott, 91.6 per cent of Ontarians over the age 12 have one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 88.9 per cent have two doses and are considered to be fully vaccinated.
Premier Doug Ford said Thursday that the province is not currently considering updating its proof of vaccination requirement, which is currently required to enter non-essential businesses like restaurants and gyms, from two doses to three.
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, because local units report figures at different times.
Health experts have said the number of COVID-19 infections identified in fully vaccinated individuals will naturally increase as more people get both of their shots.
A Texas law enforcement official says the 18-year-old gunman who slaughtered 21 people at an elementary school entered the building "unobstructed" through a door that was apparently unlocked.
In the wake of a horrific mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signalled that the Canadian government will be moving ahead on new gun-control measures 'in the coming weeks.' In previous Parliaments, the Liberals have made changes to Canada's gun laws, but in the 2021 federal election, Trudeau promised to go further.
Multiple Toronto schools were in lockdown after a male was shot near an elementary school in Scarborough’s Port Union area on Thursday afternoon, first responders and an eyewitness said.
Quebec says it is ready to vaccinate people who have come into close contact with monkeypox as soon as Friday.
Ray Liotta, the actor known for his roles in 'Field of Dreams' and the Martin Scorcese mob classic 'Goodfellas,' has died.
By now it's as predictable as the calls for thoughts and prayers: A mass shooting leaves many dead, and wild conspiracy theories and misinformation about the carnage soon follow. Within hours of Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, another rash began as internet users spread baseless claims about the man named as the gunman and his possible motives.
Families are sharing photos and stories of their loved ones, who lost their lives in a mass shooting in Texas that killed at least 19 children and two adults on Tuesday afternoon.
Mattel is honouring Laverne Cox with a Barbie doll in her likeness to celebrate the Emmy-winning actress and trans rights advocate’s 50th birthday.
Health experts say that the monkeypox virus isn’t likely to have a similar impact to SARS-CoV-2, mainly because it isn’t a new virus and doesn’t spread the same way.
Quebec says it is ready to vaccinate people who have come into close contact with monkeypox as soon as Friday.
Montreal police were on site at John Rennie High School Thursday after threatening images were posted to social media, which may have featured a firearm, near the school.
Kahnawake says it will suspend all political engagement with the Quebec government until the province can provide a "substantive solution" on its controversial overhaul to the French language charter passed earlier this week.
Multiple Toronto schools were in lockdown after a male was shot near an elementary school in Scarborough’s Port Union area on Thursday afternoon, first responders and an eyewitness said.
An attempt to run across the 401 and a struggle with police has resulted in multiple charges for a London, Ont. man.
A man from London is facing multiple charges Thursday after police seized more than $400,000 worth of drugs and approximately $300,000 in cash after executing a search warrant.
The driver of a tractor trailer is facing multiple charges after the vehicle struck a concrete barrier on the Conestoga Parkway in Kitchener.
Crews are working to clean up two Kitchener cemeteries that were hit hard Saturday during the storm.
A new suspension program at the Wellington Catholic District School Board pairs students with a youth worker who offers tailored supports to meet their specific needs.
Ontario Provincial Police have identified the two victims who drowned in the Montreal River on Tuesday morning after their boat capsized.
An impaired driver tried to cross the swing bridge in Little Current this week while it was closed for repairs, injuring one person who was working on the bridge.
Multiple Toronto schools were in lockdown after a male was shot near an elementary school in Scarborough’s Port Union area on Thursday afternoon, first responders and an eyewitness said.
Five days after a devastating storm hit Ottawa with wind gusts of 190 km/h, 43,000 homes and businesses remain without power.
The public will hear from Ottawa's former police chief next week for the first time since he resigned at the height of the 'Freedom Convoy' occupation of downtown Ottawa.
The owner of an Ottawa massage therapy clinic has been charged with sexual assault after an alleged incident in mid-January.
The Liberal candidate in Chatham-Kent-Leamington is withdrawing from the provincial election.
It’s an end of an era for COVID-19 updates with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is reporting two new deaths and 35 new high-risk COVID-19 cases over the past two days.
Police in Owen Sound are investigating after reports of a passenger in a car firing a gun at another vehicle as the two travelled through a residential area.
A transport truck driver faces charges after being stopped along Highway 400 south of Barrie following a concerned call to police.
Provincial police report laying more than 9,000 traffic charges during a six-day campaign.
The inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia is hearing Thursday from a retired senior Mountie who has been granted special accommodations to ensure he is not re-traumatized by having to relive the tragic, 13-hour event.
Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting a decrease in new deaths, cases and hospitalizations in the province's weekly COVID-19 update.
A series of weather fronts off a low-pressure system moving towards the St. Lawrence River Valley will cross the Maritimes Friday into Saturday, bringing periods of rain and a risk of thunderstorms.
Fire officials and police are investigating the cause of a blaze in a mobile home park in southeast Calgary that resulted in the death of a senior.
A man who admitted to terrorism-related acts with the militant group Islamic State has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Ray Liotta, the actor known for his roles in 'Field of Dreams' and the Martin Scorcese mob classic 'Goodfellas,' has died.
A man told court Thursday he was ready to accept punishment after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his three-year-old daughter.
Winnipeg police say a man driving an SUV tried to grab a child off the street, and are now searching for information to identify him.
Ray Liotta, the actor known for his roles in 'Field of Dreams' and the Martin Scorcese mob classic 'Goodfellas,' has died.
One person has been hospitalized following an ammonia leak in a Kamloops, B.C., industrial park Thursday morning.
Winners of awards that highlight the worst government spending of the year have been unveiled, and a British Columbia bureaucrat was among those called out.
The Pacific National Exhibition has announced its Summer Nights concert series lineup, which includes pop, rock, country and R&B performances.
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has two weeks to provide a new plan to the province, after the justice minister accused him on Thursday of "not providing or maintaining adequate and effective policing services."
A 31-year-old man is dead after he crashed his SUV on Thursday morning.
A 40-year-old-man who was airlifted to hospital after he was shot by an RCMP officer in central Alberta has been charged in the incident.
