Ontario reports two new COVID-19 deaths as hospitalizations tick up
Ontario health officials are reporting two new COVID-19-related deaths Monday.
Both of the deaths occurred in the last month, bringing the total number of individuals who have died with the virus to 13,072.
Officials also reported 1,122 people in hospital with COVID-19 Monday, including 159 patients in intensive care, however these are likely an undercount as not all hospitals report data on weekends. Monday's hospitalizations mark an increase of eight patients over Sunday.
The Ministry of Health did not provide vaccination status data or a breakdown of admissions for Monday's hospitalizations, citing technical difficulties.
UHN infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch told CP24 Monday there are variety of factors contributing to the rapid decline in hospital burden caused by the Omicron subvariant BA.2.
“There’s lots of factors pushing those numbers lower,” he said. “There’s seasonal variation to this virus, it’s not everything but it is something. We’re entering a season where we’d expect lower respiratory viral infections. But of course there’s less people in indoor settings," adding that Omicron may just not as virulent as previous strains of the virus, and a large portion of Ontario’s population was infected in the last four to five months.
“There’s so much community level immunity from vaccination and prior infection.”
In the last 24 hours, provincial labs processed 8,132 tests, generating a positivity rate of at least 7.7 per cent.
The province is reporting 1,061 new cases of COVID-19, but health officials have warned that reported case numbers are also a significant underestimation due to testing limitations.
Today's report brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 1,287,529.
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Kinew, Poilievre meet at Manitoba legislature, discuss each other's priorities
Premier Wab Kinew and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre met at the Manitoba legislature Thursday afternoon.
developing A bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.