The number of COVID patients in hospital is about half what it was last month, with daily fluctuations still reported.
Ontario hospitals are caring for 688 COVID-positive patients, including 220 patients in intensive care with COVID-related illnesses according to the latest update published by the province.
There were 1,342 COVID-positive patients in hospitals in Ontario on Feb. 17.
Today the province reported 13 new COVID deaths that occurred in the last month, and three more that occurred more than one month ago.
Over the course of the pandemic, province has reported 12,272 deaths that were either caused by COVID, COVID was a contributing factor to the death, or the cause of death was unknown or missing.
As of today, Public Health Ontario has confirmed 1,127,532 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and reported 1,099,782 cases recovered or resolved.
There were 1,593 more recoveries and 1,076 new cases confirmed through lab testing in today's report. New case counts are underestimated due to limited testing.
The March 15 updates provided by the province's public health agency and the ministry of health also reported the following data:
Hospitalizations
- 688 COVID-positive patients in hospitals. Of those, 49 per cent were admitted because of COVID-19 related illness and 51 per cent were admitted for unrelated reasons but still test positive for COVID-19.
- Among the hospitalized patients are 118 unvaccinated people, 24 partially vaccinated people, and 378 fully vaccinated people.
- 220 people are in ICU because of COVID-related critical illness and, of those, 49 no longer test positive for COVID-19.
- There are 112 patients on ventilators because of COVID-related critical illness.
- Among the patients in ICU are 40 unvaccinated people, five partially vaccinated people, and 66 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 seven 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
- Provincial labs processed 9,698 tests for the latest report, resulting in a 13 per cent positivity rate.
