Ontario reports no new COVID-19 deaths, ICU numbers stay flat
Posted March 14, 2022 11:05 am.
Last Updated March 14, 2022 12:07 pm.
Ontario is reporting no new COVID-19 deaths on Monday as the decline in hospitalizations and critical care admissions starts to plateau.
There are now 228 COVID-19 patients in the ICU, same as one day ago. Hospital data is unavailable for the second consecutive day.
Health officials report 1,116 new cases of COVID-19, however that number is underreported due to restrictions placed on who is eligible for PCR testing in the province.
There were 7,565 tests completed in the last 24-hour period for a test positivity rate of 12.1 per cent.
The Ministry of Health changed how deaths are reported last week, separating fatalities where COVID-19 was the underlying cause, COVID-19 contributed but was not the underlying cause, and deaths where the cause is unknown or missing.
Officials removed 489 deaths last week from the province’s virus death toll.
The province is loosening more pandemic measures as of Monday with mandatory vaccination and testing policies lifting for Ontario workers in schools, child-care settings, hospitals and long-term care. The province says individual organizations will have the authority to keep their own requirements in place, and most hospitals have said they will continue their strict vaccine mandates.
The province is also further easing restrictions in long-term care settings this week. Individuals under five years old will be able to resume visits and the number of visitors at a time for each residents will increase from three to four.. All residents regardless of their vaccination status will also be able to resume overnight social trips.
Next Monday, masks will no longer be required in schools, grocery stores, malls and most other indoor areas. Masking requirements will remain for public transit, long-term care, retirement homes and other health-care settings, congregate care settings, shelters, jails and homes for individuals with developmental disabilities
All remaining mask rules will be lifted on Apr. 27 and remaining emergency orders and directives will be removed, or expire.
