338 COVID patients in Ontario ICUs, testing captures 11,899 new cases

Public Health Ontario is reporting 11,899 new COVID cases today, however, that total is likely an underestimate according to the province. 

Increasing COVID case counts driven by omicron have made testing less available, and it has led to the daily totals being an underestimation of actual infections in Ontario. New testing instructions from the province are now limiting testing to certain high-risk groups, leaving symptomatic individuals to isolate but not get a test to confirm whether they have COVID. 

The Jan. 7 updates provided by the province's public health agency and the ministry of health also reported the following data:

• 11,946 recoveries and 42 deaths since yesterday's report.
• There are 135,223 active, lab-confirmed cases.
• The new cases reported today include 1,543 unvaccinated people, 375 partially vaccinated people, and 9,515 fully vaccinated people, 466 cases were reported with vaccination status unknown. 
• 2,472 people are in hospital testing positive for COVID-19. It's not clear how many people were hospitalized for COVID-19. The province has said changes will be made in how these numbers are reported in the coming days.
• Among the hospitalized COVID patients are 441 unvaccinated cases, 100 partially vaccinated cases, and 1,327 fully vaccinated cases.
• The seven-day average by vaccination status indicated 74.5 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated people, 68 cases per 100,000 partially vaccinated people, and 97 cases per 100,000 fully vaccinated people. 
• 338 people are in ICU due to COVID-19. Of those, 324 people are testing positive and 14 are testing negative. There are 177 people in an intensive care unit (ICU) on a ventilator because of COVID. 
• Included in the ICU cases are 119 unvaccinated cases, 17 partially vaccinated cases, and 106 fully vaccinated cases. 
• 11.4 million people in Ontario (77 per cent of the population) are fully vaccinated, and five per cent of the province has one dose of COVID vaccine. There are 4.2 million people in Ontario with three doses of vaccine.
• The province reported 61,137 tests were processed yesterday, resulting in a 26.6 per cent positivity rate. Another 100,224 tests are still being processed. 
• Among the new cases reported today, 508 were from Simcoe-Muskoka, 965 were from York Region, 2,405 were from Toronto, 127 were from Grey-Bruce, and 1,745 were from Peel. 
• Today's new cases include 257 children under five, 484 kids ages five to 11 years old, 874 youth between 12 and 19 years old, 4,837 people between 20 and 39 years old, 3,511 people between 40 and 59 years old, 1,380 people between 60 and 79 years old, and 547 people over 80 years old.

Public Health Ontario has confirmed 853,270 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and reported 707,732 recoveries and 10,315 deaths.

The cumulative average incidence rate in the province is 5,791.2 cases per 100,000 people in Ontario.

Ontario's average seven-day incidence rate from Dec. 28 to Jan. 3 was 691 cases per 100,000 people, which increased 46.8 per cent over the seven-day period starting on Dec. 22.

For more on the province's breakdown of vaccination status, click here.

Northern Ontario 

According to provincial data, in the north there are currently 64 people with COVID-19 in hospital, up from 56 yesterday. There are 11 people in ICU, down from 12 yesterday, and seven people on ventilators, up from six yesterday. It's not clear if the admissions were due to COVID-19 or incidental admissions such as someone going in with a broken leg who also tests positive for COVID. 

In Northern Ontario, the breakdown of Public Health Ontario data for cases and vaccination is:

• Algoma Public Health: 2,458 cases, weekly rate of 410.7 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 2,463 cases. There are 645 known active cases. There are 10 people in hospital, including one person who is from out of region but in Algoma. Of the eligible population five years and older, 86 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 80 per cent have both doses.
• North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit: 1,915 cases, weekly rate of 348 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 1,919 cases. There are 443 known active cases and no hospitalizations. Of the eligible population five years and older, 84 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 79 per cent have both doses.
• Porcupine Health Unit: 3,422 cases, weekly rate of 654.1 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 3,409 cases. There are 856 known active cases. The health unit does not report hospitalizations. As of Jan. 5, there were seven people hospitalized at Timmins and District Hospital with COVID-19, two of whom were admitted for COVID-related reasons. Of the eligible population five years and older, 86 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 79 per cent have both doses.
• Public Health Sudbury and Districts: 6,370 cases, weekly rate of 561.7 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 6,500 cases. There are 1,198 known active cases. There are 29 COVID-positive patients at Health Sciences North, including four in ICU. Of the eligible population five years and older, 87 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 81 per cent have both doses.
• Timiskaming Health Unit: 750 cases, weekly rate of 445.6 cases per 100,000 people.  The health unit has reported 797 cases. There are 214 known active cases and one hospitalization. Of the eligible population five years and older, 84 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 78 per cent have both doses.
• Northwestern Health Unit: 2,184 cases, weekly rate of 606 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 2,286 cases. There are 518 known active cases and six hospitalizations. Of the eligible population five years and older, 93 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 85 per cent have both doses.
• Thunder Bay District Health Unit: 4,805 cases, weekly rate of 386.8 cases per 100,000 people. The health unit has reported 4,724 cases. There are 193 known active cases and seven hospitalizations, with one person in ICU. Of the eligible population five years and older, 87 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 81 per cent have both doses.

The data from Northern Ontario health units is based on what was available at 10:30 a.m. today.