Ontario COVID hospitalizations up 27% week-over-week

Ontario COVID-19 hospitalizations continue their upward trend as the province reports 13 additional deaths on Wednesday.

Provincial officials are reporting 778 people in hospital due to the virus, down from one day ago but up significantly from 611 one week ago.

There are 165 COVID patients in the ICU with 92 of them on ventilators.

The Ministry of Health says 47 per cent of people hospitalized were admitted for COVID-19 and 53 per cent were admitted for other reasons and have since tested positive. In the ICU, 72 per cent were admitted for the virus and 28 per cent have since tested positive.

#Covid19Ontario daily cases vs. total current hospitalizations pic.twitter.com/zifxXHZ50Y

— Dr. Jennifer Kwan (@jkwan_md) March 30, 2022

The province is confirming 2,814 new cases of the virus, but experts estimate the real number of infections could be approximately 10 times that amount due to Ontario’s testing restrictions.

There were 17,309 tests processed in the last 24-hour period, for a test positivity rate of 15.1 per cent. Monday’s test positivity rate of 17.9 per cent was the highest the province has seen in the last two months.

Ontario’s wastewater data suggests that cases have been on the rise since early-to-mid-March and are currently doubling every 10 days.

The Ford government announced a plan on Tuesday that aims to keep the province open amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes initiatives to prevent future lockdowns and respond to any new health care crises.

The new legislation includes annual reporting of personal protective equipment to ensure there is a robust supply and requires the province to have an emergency plan in place that must be reviewed and updated every five years.

Toronto Mayor John Tory spoke to Breakfast Television on Wednesday morning and said the city is continuing to push for people to get vaccinated amid the new wave of the virus.

He also said the rise in cases is not coming as a surprise considering recent lifting of public health measures. Tory sayd the city’s health experts, including Chief Medial Officer Dr. Eileen de Villa warned that the lifting of restrictions would result in an uptick of cases.

“So that’s what we are seeing now, and we are still talking about it everyday,” said Tory.

He says the city is working on future vaccination plans with a focus on encouraging those 50 and older to get a third dose.

Modelling released by Ontario’s science advisory table ahead of mask mandates being lifted suggested there will likely be a moderate increase in COVID-19 transmission as measures end. The panel predicted that hospitalizations would likely rise, though not by as much as in previous waves.