Ontario reports highest daily COVID-19 deaths in nearly a year
Posted January 19, 2022 10:27 am.
Last Updated January 19, 2022 1:20 pm.
Ontario is reporting 60 new COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, a new high during the Omicron wave and the most the province has seen in nearly one year.
The province previously reported 88 deaths on Feb. 4, 2021.
Health officials say 4,132 people are currently in the hospital with the virus, down from a pandemic high of 4,183 reported one day ago.
There are now 589 COVID-19 patients in the ICU, the highest since May and up from 580 yesterday. Fully vaccinated individuals represent 78.5 per cent of Ontario’s population and just 38 per cent of ICU admissions.
Graphic courtesy of @jkwan_md
According to Ministry of Health data, 53 per cent of hospitalizations with the virus were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 and 47 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have since tested positive for the virus. For those in the ICU, 82 per cent were admitted for the virus and 18 per cent tested positive after being admitted for other reasons.
As of Wednesday, 91.5 per cent of Ontarians 12 and older have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 88.8 per cent have received two doses. The province administered 103,143 vaccine doses in the last 24-hour period.
Below is the number of new COVID-19 infections and tests in Ontario. Cases are likely much higher due to changes in testing strategy across the province. More information on these changes can be found here.
The province is confirming 5,744 new cases but health officials warn the number of infections is much higher due to the province’s testing capacity and accessibility.
There were 34,744 tests completed in the last 24-hour period for a positivity rate of 22.0 per cent.
Health Minister Christine Elliott and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore provided an update Wednesday on COVID-19 data and trends in the province and suggested some indicators, such as the rate of new hospitalizations, are starting to stabilize.
“We’re starting to see glimmers of hope” Elliott said. “But I do want to be clear, February will continue to pose challenges especially for our hospitals”
Elliott says the Omicron surge is expected to peak by the end of this month.
The update comes after Premier Doug Ford said an announcement on current restrictions would be made by the end of this week.
Ontario has been in a modified step 2 of pandemic restrictions since Jan. 5, closing restaurants to in-person dining, shutting gyms and putting a 50 per cent capacity on retail. The restrictions were said to be in place until at least Jan. 26.
Ontario students were set to be back in classrooms on Monday, but a winter storm delayed the return in many parts of southern Ontario to at least Wednesday
Moore, along with Education Minister Stephen Lecce, confirmed in an open letter to parents and guardians on Tuesday that school-based vaccine clinics are being launched as students head back to class.
