There is relatively little to report because very few of the institutions from which I research the latest COVID statistics have posted any updates. The exception is Ontario Public Health. As you can see from the composite chart, their PCR test positivity rate is now soaring, which doesn’t come as a surprise given the seasonality of this particular pandemic. Up to the last couple of weeks, the number of infections remained less than a third of what was reported at the same time last year. The most recent number is approximately half of last year’s, but climbing rapidly. COVID hospitalizations are starting to rise, albeit not yet as steeply and COVID ICU occupancy is still barely rising.
The more independent COVID-19 Resources Canada has not updated its severity estimates on which we reported last week. Likewise, this is the off week for Public Health Canada’s biweekly report on currently-circulating COVID variants.