Ontario reports 3,887 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 578 in ICU

Ontario health officials reported that 3,887 people are in hospital with COVID-19, and 578 of those patients are in intensive care.

The total number of people in hospital with the disease on Monday is an increase over the 3,595 reported on Sunday, while the number of people in intensive care units dropped from 579 on Sunday to 578 today.

Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore expressed optimism on Monday saying he has much more hope now that case growth appears to be slowing in hospitals and ICUs, nearing an overall “plateau.”

He said the slow growth, along with other indicators, including declining test positivity rates, provides him with some hope that the restrictions the province implemented in early January are working.

“After 12 days of public health measures, we are making a dent on the number of people needing hospital care,” Moore told CP24 on Monday. ““The rate of growth in the number of people in our hospitals (with COVID-19) is slowing down.”

The province said last week that approximately 600 ICU beds remain available across Ontario, and noted that nearly 500 additional beds can be added if required.

According to data released by the Ontario Science Table on Sunday, which takes into account population sizes, people who are fully vaccinated with at least two doses are 79.5 per cent less likely to end up in hospital and 91.5 per cent less likely to end up in ICU compared to people who are unvaccinated.

The province did not provide data on the vaccination status of those hospitalized or the reason for their hospitalization. 

The province reported 8,521 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, but health officials have warned that number is an underestimate due to testing limitations and backlogs.

With 37,059 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the province's positivity rate is about 24.2 per cent.

Acknowledging population size, the science table noted on Sunday, people who are fully vaccinated with at least two doses are 45.3 per cent less likely to contract COVID-19 compared to those who are unvaccinated.

According to health officials, 22 more deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours.

The province deemed 8,282 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Monday, bringing Ontario's number of recovered patients up to 851,365.

Today's report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 956,607.

WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO

In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 1,742 new cases in Toronto, 1,302 new cases in Peel Region, 791 new cases in York Region, 513 new cases in Durham Region and 439 new cases in Halton Region.

Officials reported 431 new cases in Ottawa, 416 new cases in Simcoe-Muskoka, 382 new cases in Waterloo region, 324 new cases in Niagara Region and 311 new cases in Hamilton. All other regions reported fewer than 300 new cases on Monday.

According to the province’s epidemiology report, of the 8,521 new infections reported on Monday, 641 cases were identified in children under the age of 12.

The province also recorded 523 cases in youth between the ages of 12 and 19 and another 3,247 cases in people between the ages of 20 and 39.

As well, officials found 2,481 cases in people between the ages of 40 and 59, 1,029 cases in people between the ages of 60 and 79 and 607 cases in people over the age of 80.

The province reported 191 resident cases and 34 staff cases in long-term care settings across Ontario. It also noted that two of the 22 deaths reported on Monday were long-term care residents.

Officials stated that at least 426 long-term care homes are currently dealing with an outbreak.