Province sets daily record with over 10,400 new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations on the rise
Posted December 29, 2021 10:25 am.
Last Updated December 29, 2021 10:58 am.
Ontario is reporting yet another spike of daily COVID-19 infections, with over 10,000 cases recorded on Wednesday, as testing capacities reach their limit.
There are 10,436 new cases of the virus, surpassing a previous record of 10,412 daily infections on Christmas Day and 9,826 infections on Boxing Day. There were 8,825 cases of the virus on Tuesday.
Health experts warn that the absolute number of COVID-19 cases is likely to be higher as several hospitals and centres have reached testing boundaries. Only 59,259 tests were completed yesterday — up from under 49,000 tests on Monday — as provincial data shows a positivity rate of 26.9 per cent.
Ontario hasn’t surpassed 65,000 daily tests since Christmas.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases has surpassed the 9,000 mark, now at 9,183. That’s up from 7,550 on Monday, and 1,514 two weeks ago.
Of Wednesday’s new cases, provincial data shows that over 1,500 involved unvaccinated residents while over 8,000 were fully vaccinated.
Hospitalizations are up, Health Minister Christine Elliott says, as the province confirms 726 people are being treated due to COVID-19. That’s up from 491 hospital patients recorded on Tuesday.
#Covid19Ontario daily cases vs. total current hospitalizations
[To show the correlation+delay between cases & hospitalizations & hopefully see if there is a wider gap for this wave *if* Omicron is less severe]https://t.co/SfQk79b9pq pic.twitter.com/gnSXViYyq3
— Dr. Jennifer Kwan (@jkwan_md) December 29, 2021
There were three new deaths recorded in the province.
The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) says there are 186 adult patients with critical illness related to COVID-19 currently in intensive care, and 104 are on a ventilator. The OHA says there were 17 adults admitted to ICU in the last 24 hours, with the seven-day rolling average of admissions now up to 172.
There are currently 85 unvaccinated patients recovering from the virus in the ICU, while 28 are fully vaccinated. There are 138 unvaccinated hospital patients with the virus while 153 are fully vaccinated.
RELATED: Global COVID-19 cases up 11% last week, Omicron risk high: WHO
Toronto Public Health is reporting 2,715 new COVID-19 infections — the sixth-straight day of over 2,000 cases. There are 1,252 new daily cases in York Region and 1,066 in Peel Region. Elsewhere, Ottawa saw a spike in new cases with 644 confirmed on Wednesday compared to 376 a day ago. There are 524 additional cases in Durham Region and 437 in Halton.
Elliott says over 176,000 vaccine doses were administered on Tuesday, adding that 90.7 per cent of Ontarians 12 and over have one dose, and 88.1 per cent have received two doses. Over 3.2 million eligible residents have received a third booster shot.
On Tuesday, Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table published updated data showing how vaccine protection with two shots has weakened over time, comparing 90 per cent protection against severe illness and hospitalization in prior months dipping drastically in mid-December.
Their data also shows the unvaccinated remain particularly vulnerable to being hospitalized or contracting serious illness compared to those with vaccine protection.
Data and graphics courtesy of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.
A news conference scheduled by Ontario’s top doctor to share new rules on COVID-19 testing and case management was postponed as officials continue to review isolation guidelines in light of changes made in the United States.
Dr. Kieran Moore was slated to hold a virtual news conference on Tuesday, but officials say it will now be held later in the week.
Moore said last week that Ontario is preparing to change its approach to COVID-19 testing and contact tracing as the Omicron variant strains resources, with residents being warned they could face long waits for tests.
