The number of lab-confirmed COVID cases and COVID-positive patients in Ontario hospitals has risen again today with over 800 people with COVID in hospital and more than 3,000 new cases reported today.
Five more people have died after contracting COVID-19, according to the latest update from the province.
Since March 1, 2022, the province has reported 230 COVID deaths.
Over the course of the pandemic, the province has reported 12,433 deaths that were either caused by COVID, COVID was a contributing factor to the death, or the cause of death was unknown or missing.
There were 2,121 more recoveries and 3,139 new cases confirmed through lab testing in today's report. New case counts are underestimated due to limited testing.
As of today, Public Health Ontario has confirmed 1,162,609 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and reported 1,129,428 cases recovered or resolved.
The March 31 updates provided by the province's public health agency and the ministry of health also reported the following data:
Hospitalizations
- 807 COVID-positive patients in hospitals, up from 778 reported yesterday. Of those, 48 per cent were admitted because of COVID-19 and 52 per cent were admitted for unrelated reasons, but tested positive for COVID-19.
- Among the hospitalized patients (not in the ICU) are 182 unvaccinated people, 28 partially vaccinated people, and 495 fully vaccinated people.
- 166 people are in ICU because of COVID-related critical illness, which is even with yesterday's report. Of those, 36 no longer test positive for COVID-19.
- There are 93 patients on ventilators because of COVID-related critical illness, down from 94 yesterday.
- Included in the ICU hospitalizations are 27 unvaccinated people, six partially vaccinated people, and 69 fully vaccinated people.
Vaccination
- About 86 per cent of the population over four years old in Ontario is fully vaccinated (about 12.1 million people)
- More than 7.1 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
- Ontario labs processed 18,318 tests for the latest report, resulting in a 16 per cent positivity.
Simcoe-Muskoka
In the last update published March 30, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit reported zero deaths, 307 new COVID cases, and three new hospitalizations.
There are 14 people from the region currently hospitalized because of COVID-19, including three patients in ICUs.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 38,307 cases of COVID-19 with 36,764 of those cases recovered and 438 cases ending in death.
The next update for Simcoe-Muskoka will be posted by the health unit on Friday (April 1).
