The most recent week’s worth of still-available COVID statistics mostly confirm last week’s conclusion that this season’s surge in new COVID infections has plateaued after having peaked in late October.
This week’s composite chart shows a possible decline in the official PCR testing positivity rate. Ontario COVID hospital admissions and ICU bed occupancy remain fairly stable at a level significantly lower than last year at this time. The independent statisticians at COVID-19 Resources Canada haven’t updated their most recent estimate of one in every 28 Ontarians currently infected and hence infectious.
The latest US Centers for Disease Control review of COVID variants shows the KP3.1.1 strain to be in decline in terms of its “market share”, but still somewhat ahead of the newer and presumably more infectious XEC recombinant. While Canada usually lags the US in the spread of new COVID strains, the reverse is current true. The latest Public Health Canada estimates from about a week ago have XEC now dominant across Canada at 37%, with KP3.1.1 down to 35% and falling rapidly.