Ontario reports record-breaking 2,472 COVID-19 hospitalizations, 338 ICU admissions
Ontario health officials are reporting another increase on Friday in the number of people with COVID-19 in hospital and intensive care units across the province.
The province reported that the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 rose from 2,279 on Thursday to a record-breaking 2,472 on Friday, while intensive care unit (ICU) admissions jumped from 319 to 338.
Previously, the highest total number of people in hospital with COVID-19 was 2,360 on Apr. 20, 2021.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said the seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 related patients in ICU is 271, a number that has been steadily rising for days now.
The province said that of the 338 people in the ICU with COVID-19, 232 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 106 are fully vaccinated.
According to data released by the Ontario Science Table on Thursday, which takes into account population sizes, people who are fully vaccinated with at least two doses are 79.8 per cent less likely to end up in hospital and 93.3 per cent less likely to end up in ICU compared to people who are unvaccinated.
During previous COVID-19 waves, health officials have said that it becomes nearly impossible to provide non-COVID-19-related medical care once there are more than 300 patients in the ICU.
According to health officials, 43 more deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours. The province noted that 42 of those deaths occurred over the span of the last 10 days, and one death occurred over a month ago.
The province reported 11,899 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, but health officials have warned that number is an underestimate due to testing limitations and backlogs.
With 61,137 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the province's positivity rate is about 26.6 per cent.
Of the 11,899 case reported Friday, 9,515 involve people who are fully vaccinated, 1,543 are people who are unvaccinated, 375 involve people who are partially vaccinated and 466 had an unknown vaccination status.
Acknowledging population size, the science table noted on Thursday, people who are fully vaccinated with at least two doses are 21.1 per cent less likely to contract COVID-19 compared to those who are unvaccinated.
The province deemed 11,946 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Friday, bringing Ontario's number of recovered patients up to 707,732.
Today's report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 853,270, including deaths and recoveries.
WHERE ARE THE NEW COVID-19 CASES IN ONTARIO
In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 2,405 new cases in Toronto, 1,745 new cases in Peel Region, 965 new cases in York Region, 742 new cases in Halton Region and 425 new cases in Durham Region.
Officials reported 656 new cases in Ottawa, 564 new cases in Waterloo region, 508 new cases in Simcoe Muskoka and 543 new cases in Windsor-Essex.
All other regions reported fewer than 500 new cases on Friday.
According to the province’s epidemiology report, of the 11,899 new infections reported on Friday, 741 cases were identified in children under the age of 12.
The province also recorded 874 cases in youth between the ages of 12 and 19 and another cases 4,837 in people between the ages of 20 and 39.
As well, officials found 3,511 cases in people between the ages of 40 and 59, 1,380 cases in people between the ages of 60 and 79 and 547 cases in people over the age of 80.
Hospitalizations involving children continue to rise in Ontario, particularly in children under the age of five. Public Health Ontario says that as of Wednesday, there were 43 children between the ages of zero and four hospitalized with COVID-19.
The province reported 191 resident cases and 65 staff cases in long-term care settings across Ontario. It also noted that seven of the 43 deaths reported on Friday were long-term care residents.
Officials stated that at least 312 long-term care homes are currently dealing with an outbreak.
Background
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.