Ontario health officials are reporting 807 people in the hospital with COVID-19 on Thursday, up from 778 patients reported on Wednesday, and 661 cases hospitalized one week ago.
According to CBC Canada, the number of patients in intensive care is up by one from 165 reported a day before and 165 reported at this time last week.
Similar to what was reported on Wednesday, Ontario’s Ministry of Health said 48 percent of people hospitalized were admitted specifically for treatment of symptoms brought on by the virus, while the rest were admitted for other reasons and then tested positive.
Another 3,139 new cases were logged through limited PCR testing Thursday, marking the first time cases have surpassed the 3,000-mark since Feb. 10. There were 18,318 tests completed Wednesday with 6,284 currently pending.
Of the 18,318 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health says the province’s positivity rate is about 16 per cent — an increase of almost one per cent over yesterday’s rate, reports CTV News Toronto.
Bad time to lift restrictions
“We’ve opened the doors to a new variant,” Colin Furness, an expert in infectious disease epidemiology from the University of Toronto, told CTV National News. “Then eliminated all of our defences.”
Furness says politicians lifted COVID-19 restrictions at “a really inappropriate time” and with a “healthy dose of denial.”
“That denial is going to crumble as cases rise,” he warned.
Furness had two additional comments – one, that people be extremely careful” as the virus spreads throughout the community, and make sure to wear the proper N95 mask because it is “one thing that will keep you safe.”
And secondly, Furness says governments need to update guidance to remind the public of the fact that “you don’t want to get COVID.”
“What feels like a really mild case can be doing massive internal damage to your body.”
