Ontario reports 1,135 COVID-19 hospitalizations, 10 more deaths Friday

Hospitalizations are continuing to creep up in Ontario, with the province reporting 1,135 people in hospital with COVID-19 and 10 more deaths linked to the virus Friday.

Friday's hospitalizations are up from 1,126 the day before and 804 at this time last week.

Of that number, 166 patients are in intensive care, about the same as a week earlier when there were 167 in ICUs. Eighty-six patients are on ventilators due to the virus.

According to the Ministry of Health, 45 per cent of people hospitalized were admitted specifically for treatment of symptoms brought on by the virus, while the rest were admitted for other reasons and then tested positive. Meanwhile, 64 per cent of people in ICU were admitted because of COVID-19, while the rest were admitted for other reasons and then tested positive for the virus.

The province reported another 4,295 COVID-19 cases through limited PCR testing, with 17,565 tests completed the day before. 

Dr. Peter Jüni, who heads the province's scientific advisory table, said Wednesday Ontario is now seeing an estimated 100,000 to 120,000 new cases of COVID-19 daily through wastewater data. 

The test positivity rate is at 19 per cent, up from Thursday's 17.2 per cent.

The additional deaths reported push the total death toll in the province to 12,537.

Meanwhile, Ontario expanded fourth dose eligibility on Thursday to those aged 60 and older, First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals, as well as all Indigenous residents and their non-Indigenous household members aged 18 or older.

The second booster shots are being offered at a recommended interval of five months after the initial booster shot.