'It makes sense': Head of Ontario COVID-19 science table reacts to newly released hospital data

For the first time in the pandemic, the Ontario government has started distinguishing between patients admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 and incidental admissions, which the head of the province’s science advisory table says is a good idea.

“It makes sense,” Dr. Peter Juni told CTV News Toronto on Tuesday during his first interview on the subject.

“This is addressing the concerns of various people but also an epidemiological reality: if you have a really high frequency of infection and transmission in the community, some of that you will also see in the hospitals,” he said.

According to the data, as of Jan. 11, of the 3,220 patients currently in hospital, 54 per cent (1,738 patients) are in hospital for COVID-19 while 46 per cent (1,481 patients) tested positive after being admitted to hospital for a non-COVID-19-related illness.

In Ontario’s intensive care units (ICUs), there are 477 patients, 83 per cent of whom (395 patients) are there because of COVID-19 and 17 per cent (81 patients) tested positive for the virus after the fact.