Ontario’s ICU admissions continue to rise as province reports 13,000+ new COVID cases

Ontario is reporting more than 13,000 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, as the number of patients in intensive care continues to rise.

In a tweet, Health Minister Christine Elliott confirms 13,578 new cases — a drop from 16,714 infections on Sunday. However, Public Health Ontario says the number of infected people is likely higher due to recent policy changes, which have made COVID-19 testing less accessible.

There are 248 patients in intensive care, which is up from 224 the previous day. The Ontario Health Association says 124 of those patients are on a ventilator. The seven-day rolling average of patients in the ICU now sits at 210.

Elliott says 1,232 people overall are hospitalized with the virus, up from 1,117 on Sunday, but cautions that not all hospitals report on the weekends.

The provincial government did not post an updated number of COVID-19 deaths due to the New Year’s holiday weekend.

Data is also not available on the number of unvaccinated or vaccinated individuals in hospitals due to COVID, as well as the number of tests completed. The next complete update from the Ministry of Health is expected on Tuesday.

So far, more than 88 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 and over are fully vaccinated.

The update comes as the province is moving schools online and pausing non-urgent surgeries in a bid to slow the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant. Premier Doug Ford announced the plan Monday, along with other restrictions on businesses and gatherings.