Ontario&nbsp;reported&nbsp;1,038&nbsp;people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday, as the rate of hospitalizations in the province continues to gradually decline.

The number of hospitalizations is down&nbsp;from 1,064&nbsp;the day before and 1,550 at the same time last week. The province did not release COVID-19 data on Monday as it was a holiday.

According to the Ministry of Health,&nbsp;50&nbsp;per cent of those people&nbsp;were admitted to the hospital specifically for COVID-19 treatment&nbsp;while the other 50 per cent&nbsp;were admitted for other reasons but have tested positive for the virus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott noted that not all hospitals report on weekends.

Of the new hospitalizations reported, 319&nbsp;people are in intensive care units.&nbsp;Nearly 80&nbsp;per cent were admitted to intensive care specifically for the virus, while the rest were admitted for other reasons and tested positive. The number of ICU patients decreased by one from the&nbsp;day before.

COVID-19 patients in Ontario hospitals and ICUs

The province is also reporting 24 new deaths&nbsp;— 15 that were detected on Monday and nine on Tuesday&nbsp;— pushing the&nbsp;official death toll to 12,288.

There are 129 long-term care homes with COVID-19 outbreaks currently, which account for 20 per cent of the province's total.

Ontario to scrap vehicle licence renewal fees, requirement for stickers

Ontario is scrapping vehicle licence plate renewal fees and the requirement for drivers to have a licence plate sticker effective March 13.

A photograph of an Ontario provincial licence plate with a renewal sticker is shown in Mississauga, Ont., on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. The Ontario government is scrapping licence plate renewal fees and corresponding stickers for passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds. 

ONT Licence Plates 20220222

Premier Doug Ford said the government will also issue refunds to Ontarians who have renewed their licence plate stickers since March 2020.

Ontario commits to 49,000 more HEPA filters for schools, child-care settings

Ontario says it is providing more stand-alone HEPA filter units for schools and child-care centres to offer more children greater protection against COVID-19.

A pallet of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters stored at the Thames Valley District School Board facility of Operations, Maintenance and Projects on Leathorne Street in London.

HEPA Filters

A pallet of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters sits in storage at a Thames Valley District School Board facility in London, Ont. The Ontario government said on Monday it will provide HEPA filter units for schools and child-care centres to provide greater protection against COVID-19.

Nurse Ashley De Lumen attends to a COVID-19 patient on a ventilator in the intensive care unit of Humber River Hospital, in Toronto, on Jan. 25. Of the new hospitalizations reported Tuesday, 319 people are in ICU.

Ontario reports 1,038 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 319 patients in ICU

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