The province recorded 538 new COVID cases overnight. That was down 87 cases from the previous 24-hour period. More than 39,600 tests were completed, meaning the positivity rate was about 1.3 percent. 80 percent of the new cases where in the GTA and Ottawa. There are 229 new cases in Toronto with 101 in Peel, 66 in Ottawa and 43 in York Region. 60% of today’s cases are in people under the age of 40. There are 515 more resolved cases today, which is an improvement over recent says where new cases far exceeded resolved cases.
As alarming as the new figures are, many observers are recommending that they be p[laced in some contest. Writing for the National Post Randall Denley notes, “testing volume now is four times as great as it was back then. More tests equal more cases. More important is the percentage of tests that yield a positive result. In the spring it was 7.5 per cent. Now, it’s 1.5 per cent. If Ontario had the testing capacity in the spring that it has now, the first wave’s numbers would easily have dwarfed those we are seeing this week.” Provincial hospital officials say the ICU capacity in Ontario can absorb about 350 COVID cases before it starts to overwhelm the system and affect other urgent medical needs. As of today COVID was taking up only 36 ICU beds in the province. Locally, HHSC, St Joes and Joe Brant Hospital all have developed contingency plan s to deal with the second wave. Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington has its temporary Pandemic Response Unit field hospital ready to go as it appears the second wave of the coronavirus has arrived. The structure was put up in the spring but has not been used.
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