Ontario reports 16 new COVID-19 deaths, over 900 hospitalizations
Posted March 1, 2022 11:18 am.
Ontario is reporting 16 new COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday as hospitalizations are down more than 100 in the last week.
Provincial officials are reporting 914 hospitalizations, up from 849 one day ago. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the province hit its lowest point since the start of the Omicron wave on Sunday.
Monday’s hospitalizations numbers are usually lower than the rest of the week since more than 10 per cent of hospitals do not report numbers on the weekends.
The number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU now sits at 278.
According to the Ministry of Health, 80 per cent of ICU patients were admitted for COVID-19 and 20 per cent were admitted for other reasons and contracted the virus in the hospital.
Health officials are reporting 1,176 new cases on Tuesday. Officials warn that number is underreported following changes to the province’s testing policy.
Of the 16 additional deaths, all of them occurred over the past 18 days and eight occurred over the previous three days.
There were 13,087 tests completed in the previous day for a test positivity rate of 10.3 per cent.
As of Tuesday, 92.6 per cent of Ontarians 12 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 90.5 have received two doses.
The province lifted most public health measures on Tuesday, including the vaccine passport requirement.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is no longer required at restaurants, gyms and movie theatres and remaining capacity limits for nightclubs and larger spectator venues are also being lifted. Restrictions on indoor and outdoor social gatherings have also come to an end.
Businesses may continue to require proof of vaccine if they choose to do so.
Premier Doug Ford has said masks will likely be in place in Ontario for at least a couple more weeks. He said on Monday he is waiting for the chief medical officer’s approval to lift the mask mandate.
“I’m hearing over the next few weeks, maybe after March break when the kids get back,” said Ford. “I don’t want to set a date.”
