Ontario reports 20 more deaths linked to COVID-19, ICU admissions continue to drop
CBC
Ontario's COVID-19 intensive care unit admissions continued to drop for a second day in a row on Thursday, as the province reported another 20 deaths linked to the virus.
The Ministry of Health said there were 202 people with confirmed cases of COVID in ICU, down from 211 the day before. While it is too early to determine whether COVID-related ICU admissions may be slowing, this is the most significant drop in overall patients with the virus in critical care in several weeks.
Of those people in ICU with COVID-19, about 68 per cent were admitted as a direct result of symptoms from the illness.
The total number of patients with the virus in hospitals also fell slightly to 1,661 from 1,734 a day before. Roughly 45 per cent of those hospitalized were admitted due to the virus.
Limited laboratory testing confirmed another 3,560 cases of COVID-19. However, Dr. Peter Jüni, the scientific director of Ontario's panel of COVID-19 advisers, said last week that multiplying the daily case count by 20 would give a more accurate picture.
Public Health Ontario logged a positivity rate of 14.5 per cent from the 18,875 tests that were completed.
Meanwhile, the latest wastewater data seen on the science table's dashboard projects a slight increase in infections in the province, after Easter Day long weekend.
About 28 per cent of Ontario's long-term care homes are currently reporting an active outbreak of COVID-19.
The province's COVID-19 death toll stands at 12,792.
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