Ontario ICU numbers continue to fall as new COVID-19 cases climb

Ontario is reporting 192 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death on Friday.

It is the highest number of new infections in the province in more than two weeks.

The test positivity rate is 0.9 per cent, up from 0.6 per cent one week ago.

There were 19,757 tests completed in the last 24-hour period.

Locally, there are 43 new cases in Toronto, 25 in Peel Region, 18 in York Region, 18 in the Region of Waterloo, 11 in Durham Region and 11 in Hamilton.

The active case count in the province increased by 44 – there were 147 resolved cases.

The rolling seven-day average is up slightly to 160 cases. The average has started to slowly climb in the past week after dropping consistently since the peak of the third wave in April.

The province reported 185 cases and seven deaths on Thursday.

There are now 136 people in the ICU with COVID-19 complications and 84 ICU patients on a ventilator. ICU patients have dropped to the lowest point since mid-November.

Graphics courtesy of @jwan_md

There were 120,231 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the last 24-hour period.

As of 8 p.m. Thursday, 80 per cent of Ontario residents 12 and older have received at least one dose while 64.8 per cent are now fully vaccinated.

Peel Region held its weekly COVID-19 briefing on Thursday with Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie saying the region is now in a very enviable position compared to jurisdictions around the world.

When it comes to numbers, over two million vaccines have been administered in Peel Region. Nearly 80 per cent of eligible residents 12 and older have one dose, and just under 60 per cent have both.

Peel Public Health has identified several areas in the region with lower vaccine uptake than others and Crombie says more resources are being deployed to these areas to ensure everyone has easy access to the vaccine.

The City of Toronto has announced a special vaccination clinic taking place at Mel Lastman Square in North York this weekend.

The clinic – dubbed ‘Vax the North’ – is designed to help boost COVID-19 vaccine rates in the area. The city says the biggest lag in vaccination rate lies within the 18 to 45 age group.

Graphics courtesy of @jwan_md