Ontario reports 1,829 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and 435 in ICUs
CBC News | Posted: February 11, 2022 3:33 PM | Last Updated: February 11, 2022
52 more deaths reported, pushing Ontario's official toll to 12,040
Ontario reported 1,829 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19 Friday, marking the second straight day that number has dipped below 2,000 since early January.
The number of hospitalizations is down from 1,897 the day before and from 2,634 at the same time last week.
According to the Ministry of Health, 54 per cent of those people were admitted to the hospital specifically for COVID-19 treatment, and 46 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have tested positive for the virus.
The number of people in ICU with COVID-19 also dipped slightly, dropping from 445 to 435. Roughly 80 per cent of patients were admitted to intensive care specifically for the virus, while the rest were admitted for other reasons and tested positive.
The province is also reporting 52 new deaths pushing the province's official death toll to 12,040.
At a news conference Thursday, the province's top doctor said public health indicators in the province are showing an improvement.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said the province is currently reviewing timelines for easing public health measures, including masking and proof-of-vaccination policies.
"We can now see that the Omicron peak is behind us," Moore said. "We're in a very good position to reconsider timelines."
Moore also announced that high-contact sports, choir and other extracurriculars can now resume in Ontario schools after a temporary pause on the activities when students returned to in-person learning amid the Omicron wave.
Also Thursday, Ontario's expert science advisers said rapid antigen tests don't detect COVID-19 infections with the Omicron variant as reliably as they did with the Delta strain, but changing the way the tests are performed can boost their sensitivity.