Ontario reports 688 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 16 more deaths Tuesday
Ontario is reporting 688 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 16 more deaths linked to the virus Tuesday.
The province did not provide hospitalization data for the past two days, until now. Today's reported hospitalizations mark a slight jump from 602 the day before and 608 on Sunday but it is down from 779 exactly one week ago. It's important to note that not all hospitals report over the weekend.
About 49 per cent of those admitted to hospital were directly seeking treatment for COVID-19 symptoms, while 51 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have since tested positive for the virus.
Of the hospitalizations reported, there are 220 patients in intensive care, which is down from the 228 reported Monday and 246 at this exact last week.
About 77 per cent of those patients were admitted to ICU specifically for the virus, while the rest were admitted for other reasons but also tested positive for the virus.
COVID-19 patients in Ontario hospitals and ICUs
The 16 additional deaths reported by the province push the official death toll to 12,272.
Another 1,076 new COVID-19 cases have also been logged, though the province's medical officer of health has warned the actual number of new cases is likely ten times higher, due to limited PCR testing available.
Here are some other key pandemic indicators and figures from the Ministry of Health's daily provincial update:
Tests completed: 9,698.
Provincewide test positivity rate: 13 per cent.
Active cases: 15,478.
Patients in ICU requiring a ventilator to breathe: 112.
Vaccinations: 31,900,491 doses have been administered to date. Currently, 92.7 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 and older have received at least one dose, while 90.8 per cent have received two doses.
As of Tuesday, 89.8 per cent of Ontarians aged five or older have received at least one dose, while 86.1 per cent have received two doses.
Poll indicates Ontarians keeping masks on
Ontario is set to lift its COVID-19 mask mandate on Monday, but a majority of respondents to recent polling by the Angus Reid Institute in partnership with CBC News said they will continue to wear them.
Three in four respondents from Ontario said they support wearing masks in indoor public spaces.
Most indicated they plan to continue to wear a mask indoors around strangers. Fifty-six per cent said they would continue to do so, even after restrictions end. The same proportion of people who responded said they plan on avoiding large gatherings.
The province already allows restaurants, gyms and other venues to stop checking vaccine passports at the door, although some venues have chosen to keep the practice.
But 67 per cent of respondents still indicated support for showing a vaccine passport to eat at a restaurant or enter other venues.
Despite personal choices, respondents were split over whether they think the province is removing restrictions too quickly. Thirty-nine percent said it was too fast, while 35 per cent said it's now time to remove restrictions, and the rest said it has been too long coming.
The poll was conducted online from March 1 to 4 of this year, among a representative randomized sample of 836 Ontarians who are 18 years and older, with a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
