According to provincial data, there are 855 people hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 165 patients in the intensive care unit. This is the first time in more than a month that more than 850 COVID-19 treatments have been reported in Ontario. Of the patients at the hospital on Saturday, at least 46 percent were admitted for reasons related to the new coronavirus, while the remaining 54 percent tested positive while being treated for other conditions. Nearly 69 percent of ICU patients are treated specifically for COVID-19. Officials also confirmed another nine deaths from COVID-19, bringing the province’s toll to 12,460. Seven of the deaths reported on Saturday occurred in the last month, while two more deaths were added to the cumulative account after clearing data. Two deaths were reported in long-term care residents. An additional 3,233 confirmed COVID-19 laboratory cases were also confirmed Saturday, though officials warn that this is an underestimation due to ongoing testing restrictions. A few days ago, the scientific director of the Ontario COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Board said it was “very clear” that the province was in the middle of the sixth wave of the pandemic and that there were likely to be between 30,000 and 35,000 new infections a day. “When you look at our sewage, it’s very clear. You can name it whatever you want, you know. “Whether it’s a resurgence of the Omicron wave we had or a sixth wave, the point is to really understand that this is not a BA.2 wave,” said Dr. Peter Jüni at the time. With just over 16,000 tests processed in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the province’s positive rate now stands at about 17.1 percent. In all, 1,169,361 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in Ontario since the pandemic began.
