Ontario reports fewer than 3,000 people in hospital with COVID-19, 72 more deaths

Ontario health officials are reporting that fewer than 3,000 people are in hospital with COVID-19 as the province records 72 more COVID-19 deaths.

The province reported on Wednesday that 2,939 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19, and 555 of these patients are in intensive care.

The number of people in intensive care has been steadily decreasing. The province reported that 568 people were in ICU on Tuesday, 583 on Monday, 597 on Sunday and 597 on Saturday.

The province reported that 56 per cent of the 2,939 people in hospital are primarily there due to COVID-19, while the remaining 44 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have now 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 219 of the people in ICU are fully vaccinated, 182 are unvaccinated and 16 are partially vaccinated. The remaining 138 have an unknown vaccination status.

According to data released by the Ontario Science Table on Tuesday, 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 91.2 per cent less likely to end up in ICU compared to people who are unvaccinated.

A spokesperson with the Ontario Ministry of Health says 67 of the latest deaths occurred over the past 24 days, with four deaths occurring on Feb. 1, 18 deaths on Jan. 31, 17 deaths on Jan. 30 and the remaining deaths in the preceding days. Five of the 72 deaths occurred more than a month ago.

The province has reported a total 11,576 COVID-19-related deaths in the province since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

The province reported 3,909 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, but health officials have warned that number is an underestimate due to testing limitations and backlogs.

With 27,720 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the province's positivity rate is about 13.4 per cent.

Acknowledging population size, the science table noted on Monday, people who are fully vaccinated with at least two doses are 56.4 per cent less likely to contract COVID-19 compared to those who are unvaccinated.

The province deemed 4,912 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Wednesday, bringing Ontario's number of recovered patients up to 986,715.

Today's report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 1,039,825.

The province reported 174 resident cases and 69 staff cases in long-term care settings across Ontario. It also noted that 11 of the 72 deaths reported on Wednesday were long-term care residents.

Officials stated that at least 329 long-term care homes are currently dealing with an outbreak.