For the third consecutive day, there are fewer than 1,000 COVID-positive patients in Ontario hospitals, according to the latest report, which has come down from more than 3,000 hospitalized patients at the beginning of last month.
The latest COVID updates published by the province report 16 new deaths, 1,176 new cases and approximately 914 COVID-positive patients in Ontario hospitals.
There are 278 patients in intensive care units (ICUs) because of COVID-related critical illness. There were nearly 600 COVID patients in ICUs at the beginning of February.
New case counts do not reflect COVID-19 transmission in the province as testing is not open to everyone. Totals are therefore underestimated.
Public Health Ontario has confirmed 1,103,187 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and reported 1,073,281 recoveries and 12,451 deaths.
The March 1 updates provided by the province's public health agency and the ministry of health also reported the following data:
Cases
- 16 new deaths, all occurred in the last month.
- 1,881 recoveries since yesterday's report
- Among the new cases confirmed today are 165 unvaccinated people, 21 partially vaccinated people, and 858 fully vaccinated people. 166 cases were reported with vaccination status unknown.
- The seven-day average incidence rate for cases is 10.4 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated people, 8.9 cases per 100,000 partially vaccinated people, and 12 cases per 100,000 fully vaccinated people.
Hospitalizations
- 914 people are in hospital testing positive for COVID-19. Of those, about 45 per cent were admitted to hospital because of COVID-19 related illness, the remaining 55 per cent were admitted for other reasons but test positive for COVID-19.
- Among the COVID-positive patients in hospital are 219 unvaccinated people, 28 partially vaccinated people, and 514 fully vaccinated people.
- There are approximately 278 patients in Ontario ICUs with COVID-related illnesses, and 234 patients in the ICU currently testing positive for COVID-19.
- There are 162 COVID patients on ventilators because of COVID-related critical illness.
- Included in the ICU totals are 63 unvaccinated people, five partially vaccinated people, and 88 fully vaccinated people.
Vaccination
- About 86 per cent of the population over four years old in Ontario is fully vaccinated (about 12 million people)
- More than 6.99 million people in Ontario have had three doses of a COVID vaccine.
- 10 per cent of the eligible population (aged 5 and up) is unvaccinated
Testing
- Ontario labs processed 13,087 tests resulting in a 10.3 per cent positivity rate in the latest report.
- Another 5,767 tests are still being processed.
Simcoe-Muskoka
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit reported two deaths, four new hospitalizations related to COVID, and 243 new cases in its latest update published Feb. 28.
There are at least 34 people from the region hospitalized because of COVID-19, with seven of them in ICUs.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 35,258 cases of COVID-19 with 33,865 of those cases recovered and 404 cases ending in death.
