Ontario reports fewer than 1,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations for first time since late December

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The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has fallen below 1,000 for the first time since late December, although health officials warn that not all hospitals report on the weekend.

According to provincial data, there are 842 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 281 patients in intensive care.

It is the first time since Dec. 30 that this number has dropped below 1,000.

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott noted on social media that “not all hospitals report on the weekend.”

The province has not released the breakdown of patients who are being treated primarily for COVID-19 or who tested positive after being admitted for unrelated ailments. No vaccination data for hospitalized patients was available.

An additional 10 deaths were also reported on Sunday, with nine occurring over the last month. The remaining death was added the cumulative count following a data cleanup, bringing the total number of people to die since the pandemic began in Ontario to 12,430.

Four of the deaths confirmed Sunday were in long-term care.

Health officials confirmed another 2,001 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, but that number continues to be an underestimation due to a lack of testing.

Of those cases, 33 were health-care workers and 62 were residents of long-term care.

The majority of infections were identified in the Greater Toronto Area. According to the provincial epidemiology report, there were 274 cases in Toronto, 163 in Peel Region and 133 in York Region.

Other municipalities that reported more than 100 new COVID-19 cases include Ottawa (161), Windsor-Essex (108), and Simcoe-Muskoka (107)