Ontario reports 75 more deaths linked to COVID-19 as hospitalizations drop to 4,061
Ontario health officials are reporting 75 deaths over the span of 19 days due to COVID-19, citing a data catch-up, as hospitalizations declined on Thursday.
“Due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, we are evaluating whether there is a need to update reporting to distinguish between causal and incidental deaths related to COVID-19,” the provincial health minister’s spokesperson said on Thursday.
Health officials said 4,061 people are now in hospital testing positive for COVID-19, a decrease of 71 patients since Wednesday.
There are 594 people in intensive care, five more patients than on Wednesday.
The province also reported that of those hospitalized, 55 per cent are seeking care due to COVID-19, while the remaining 45 per cent were admitted to the hospital for unrelated reasons and are now testing positive for the virus.
In intensive care, 81 per cent of patients are admitted primarily for COVID-19, while the remaining 19 per cent are testing positive but are being treated for a separate issue.
Meanwhile, Ontario is reporting 7,757 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, but health officials have warned that number is an underestimate due to limited testing.
Of those who tested positive for COVID-19, 1,079 are unvaccinated, 260 are partially vaccinated, 5,819 are fully vaccinated and 599 have an unknown vaccination status.
With 42,907 tests processed in the last 24 hours, Ontario is reporting a test positivity rate of 15.9 per cent.
Officials are reporting 1,373 new cases in the Greater Toronto Area, 1,006 in Peel Region, 643 new cases in York Region, 371 new cases in Durham Region and 391 new cases in Halton Region.
Officials reported 415 new cases in Waterloo Region and 300 new cases in Ottawa.
Across Ontario, 420 long-term care homes are facing outbreaks in addition to 316 retirement homes.
The province says 316 residents in long-term care homes have COVID-19 along with 84 staff members. According to provincial data, 26 of the deaths reported on Thursday are among long-term care residents.
Premier Doug Ford announced a three-step plan on Thursday to gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions put in place earlier this month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My little love is now flying high': Families pay tribute to Texas school shooting victims
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.

Beto O'Rourke confronts Gov. Abbott on shooting: 'This is on you'
A news conference about the shooting at a Texas elementary school broke into shouting Wednesday as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke blamed Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for inaction ahead of the latest in a long string of mass shootings in the state.
Live updates from the French Conservative leadership debate
The six candidates on the ballot to be the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada are debating face-to-face in French, in Laval, Que.
Onlookers urged police to charge into Texas school
Onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman's rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, a witness said Wednesday, as investigators worked to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a Border Patrol team.
Trudeau cancelled B.C. appearance after RCMP warned protest could escalate: CP source
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled plans to appear in person at a Liberal fundraiser in British Columbia Tuesday after RCMP warned an aggressive protest outside the event could escalate if he arrived, said a source close to the decision. The source spoke to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.
Who controls the price of crude oil?
Do oil companies control the price of crude? CTVNews.ca asked experts to explain.
Canada's 2022 summer weather forecast predicts huge differences from coast-to-coast
Several parts of the country, including British Columbia and Canada's Maritime provinces, are likely to see wetter-than-normal conditions this summer, according to AccuWeather's annual summer forecast.
Monkeypox in Canada: PHAC now confirms 16 cases nationwide
The Public Health Agency of Canada says it has now confirmed a total of 16 cases of monkeypox in the country, all in Quebec.
'How to Murder Your Husband' author found guilty of murder
A jury in Portland has convicted a self-published romance novelist - who once wrote an essay titled 'How to Murder Your Husband' - of fatally shooting her husband four years ago.