Ontario is reporting 109 new deaths from COVID-19 in the past seven days – the highest death toll since early May during the sixth wave of the pandemic.
The weekly death toll comes from new data released Thursday by the province’s health ministry, which reported 67 deaths the previous week.
It is not since May 6, when deaths numbered 112 for the week, that the province has reported such a high death toll.
The province’s weekly data release normally includes seven individual days of information covering the number of newly reported COVID cases, hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and deaths. This week’s release is missing three days of data – October 15, 16 and 17.
CBC News contacted the Department of Health to inquire regarding the missing information.
The new figures paint a grim picture of the toll of the virus. Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, warned last month that the risk of transmission of the novel coronavirus would increase during colder months.
Hospitalizations are on the rise
According to the data, the number of people hospitalized with the virus rose to 1,663 on Thursday, from 1,629 the previous week.
The number of people in intensive care with COVID-19 also rose to 158 from 143 at this time last week. Of these, 65 patients need a ventilator to breathe, up from 56 the previous week.
Thursday’s test positivity fell slightly to 16.4% from 17.1% last Thursday, but is significantly higher than the 13.3% reported two weeks ago.
The positivity rate can vary depending on how many people test for the virus. Last January, the province decided to limit PCR testing to high-risk populations and settings only.
Experts said the number of reported cases is a serious underestimate of the true extent of COVID-19 infections in Ontario.
