Ontario reporting decline in COVID-related hospitalizations, 10 additional deaths

Ontario is reporting its lowest number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations since Monday, and 10 additional deaths, which were reported over the past month.

On Saturday, the province released two sets of data because no numbers were released on Good Friday. The government will not be posting data on April 17th, Easter Sunday, as well.

While not all hospitals report their data over the weekends and holidays, Ontario is seeing 1,130 patients in hospital on Saturday, and 1,427 were reported the day before.

45 per cent of the patients in hospital on Saturday were admitted for the virus and 55 per cent of those people tested positive for COVID-19 after.

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Saturday’s hospitalization count is more than 57 per cent higher compared to a month ago, March 15.

In ICU, data shows 153 patients tested positive for the virus on Saturday, that number holding steady over the past five days, and is an increase of seven people compared to the day before.

According to the province’s daily epidemiological summary, there are 4,201 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, however, health experts have warned the number of daily case counts reported are not accurate because of the limited testing availability in the province, and the numbers are likely 10 times higher.

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As for testing, 19,282 tests have been completed in the past day with an 18.5 per positivity rate. That number has been fluctuating around the 18 mark since the beginning of the month.

On the vaccination front, in the past day 8,229 doses were administered throughout the province. This is the lowest number of shots in arms we’ve seen in the past 11 days.

Provincial data shows 87 per cent of Ontarians five years of age and older are fully vaccinated, three per cent are partially vaccinated, and 10 per cent have not rolled up their sleeves.