Ontario reports drop in number of people in hospital with COVID-19, 75 more deaths
Ontario health officials reported a significant drop in the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 on Thursday.
The province said 2,797 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19. Just the day before, officials said that 2,939 people were in hospital with the disease.
Health officials also reported a drop in the number of patients in intensive care, saying there are currently 541 people with COVID-19 in ICUs across the province. On Wednesday, that number was 555.
The province reported that 56 per cent of the 2,797 people in hospital are primarily there due to COVID-19, while the remaining 44 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have tested positive for the virus.
Eighty-three per cent of patients are in ICU primarily due to COVID-19, while 17 per cent of cases are there primarily for other reasons, but also have the virus.
The province said that 211 of the people in ICU are fully vaccinated, 179 are unvaccinated and 16 are partially vaccinated. The remaining 135 have an unknown vaccination status.
According to data released by the Ontario Science Table on Wednesday, which takes into account population sizes, people who are fully vaccinated with at least two doses are 82.9 per cent less likely to end up in hospital and 91.3 per cent less likely to end up in ICU compared to people who are unvaccinated.
The province also reported that 75 more people have died due to COVID-19.
A spokesperson for Ontario Ministry of Health stated 74 deaths of the deaths reported on Thursday happened over the past 23 days. The remaining 75th death took place over a month ago.
One of the 74 deaths occurred on Feb. 2, 22 of the deaths occurred on Feb. 1, nine of the deaths occurred on Jan. 31, and the remaining 42 deaths occurred previous to Jan. 31.
Officials said there have been a total of 11,651 COVID-19-related deaths in the province since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
The province reported 4,098 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, but health officials have warned that number is an underestimate due to testing limitations and backlogs.
With 28,493 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the province's positivity rate is about 13.2 per cent.
Acknowledging population size, the science table noted on Wednesday that people who are fully vaccinated with at least two doses are 61.3 per cent less likely to contract COVID-19 compared to those who are unvaccinated.
Health officials said they've detected at least 29 cases of the COVID-19 Omicron subvariant BA.2 in Ontario.
BA.2 is a descendant of the Omicron variant and it is widely considered stealthier than the original version because particular genetic traits make it somewhat harder to detect. Some scientists have expressed worry that it could also be more contagious.
The province deemed 5,901 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Thursday, bringing Ontario's number of recovered patients up to 992,616.
Today's report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 1,043,923.
The province reported 286 resident cases and 79 staff cases in long-term care settings across Ontario. It also noted that 18 of the 75 deaths reported on Thursday were long-term care residents.
Officials stated that at least 322 long-term care homes are currently dealing with an outbreak.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Be prepared for delays at any point': Canada not flying alone in worldwide travel chaos
As Canadian airports deal with their own set of problems amid the busy summer travel season, by no means are they alone.

'Incompetence is incalculable': 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.
Scene of Saanich, B.C., shooting cleared, businesses reopened, police say
The remaining businesses on Shelbourne Street in Saanich, B.C., that had been closed after last week's shooting at a Bank of Montreal branch have now reopened, police say.
Splintered Ukrainian city braces for new battle with Russia
Slovyansk could become the next major target in Moscow's campaign to take the Donbas region, Ukraine's predominantly Russian-speaking industrial heartland.
Russian ship carrying Ukrainian grain detained by Turkish customs, ambassador says
Turkish customs authorities have detained a Russian cargo ship carrying grain which Ukraine says is stolen, Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey said on Sunday.
Calgary's new 'Museum of Failure' 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.
'Ungrading': How one Ontario teacher is changing her approach to report cards
An Ontario high school teacher plans to continue with an alternative method of grading her students after an experiment last semester in which students proposed a grade and had to justify it with examples of their work.
Heavy rains, floods prompt evacuations of Sydney suburbs
Thousands of residents in Sydney suburbs were told to evacuate their homes on Sunday after heavy rains caused floodwaters to rise and rivers to overflow in what authorities called life-threatening emergencies.
Glacier collapses in Italian Alps, killing at least six
Parts of a mountain glacier collapsed in the Italian Alps on Sunday amid record temperatures, local authorities said, killing at least six people and injuring eight.