Ontario is reporting more than 16,000 new COVID-19 cases today and 16 more virus-related deaths as the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care surpasses 220.
Officials are reporting 16,714 new cases today, down from the record 18,445 infections confirmed on Saturday but up significantly from 9,826 last Sunday. Public Health Ontario has cautioned that daily case counts are an underestimate of the true number of cases in Ontario due to testing limitations.
Free PCR testing was previously open to all members of the public but last week, the province announced that those tests will now be reserved exclusively for high-risk individuals who are symptomatic or at risk of severe illness from the novel coronavirus.
The province did not release information today about the number of tests processed over the past 24 hours or the number of cases involving vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
The rolling seven-day average of new infections is now 13,480, up from 6,746 last week.
Public Health Ontario confirmed 16 more virus-related deaths today, bringing Ontario’s COVID-19 death toll to 10,223.
According to Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott, there are currently 224 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment in Ontario ICUs, up from 168 seven days ago.
Elliott noted that at least 1,117 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 but added that not all hospitals report data over the weekend. This is up significantly from seven days ago when the province reported that 373 COVID-19 patients were receiving treatment in hospital.
She said 124,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and a total of 27,333,175 shots have been administered so far in the province. More than 90 per cent of Ontario residents aged 12 and older have received one dose and 88 per cent have received two shots. Elliott did not disclose how many booster doses have been administered in the province to date.
The Public Health Units with the highest number of new cases today include Toronto (3,736), Peel Region (2,182), York Region (1,388), and Ottawa (1,082).
There are now at least 195 ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes in the province, an increase of 27 over the past 24 hours.
