Provincial health officials say there are now 655 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment in Ontario hospitals, up from about 100 last week.
This includes 158 people in the ICU, 23 fewer patients in the ICU than the number reported seven days ago.
Another four deaths were added to the total of the province, bringing the death toll from COVID-19 in Ontario to 12,405. Three of the deaths confirmed today occurred in the last month, while one occurred more than a month ago.
Provincial laboratories have confirmed 1,741 new infections in the last 24 hours, which is significant given the current testing limitations. Of these cases confirmed today, 236 are people who have not been fully vaccinated, 442 are people with two doses of COVID-19, 970 are people with three doses of COVID-19, and 93 are people with an unknown vaccination status.
Just over 6,000 tests have been processed in the last 24 hours, resulting in a 17.9% positive rate, the highest number since late January, when the province was at the height of the Omicron wave.
Officials have previously warned that COVID-19 hospitalizations are likely to increase from now until May, but will not approach those reported at Omicron’s height.
The Ontario Science Advisory Board reports that sewage data indicates that transmission is on the rise again in all parts of the province after reaching the bottom earlier this month.
The rise in transmission comes after the Ford government’s decision to lift most public health restrictions, including coverage requirements at most public facilities and the Provincial Vaccine Certification Program.
The numbers used in this story are in the Ontario Department of Health’s Daily Epidemiological Summary COVID-19. The number of cases for any city or region may differ slightly from that reported by the province, as local units report data at different times.
