659 patients with COVID-19-related illnesses being treated in Ontario's ICUs
Ontario reported 4,736 new cases of COVID-19 — the most ever on a single day — and a third-wave high of 29 more deaths of people with the illness on Thursday as total hospitalizations climbed to more than 1,900.
There are 1,932 patients with COVID-19 in the province's hospitals, according to the Ministry of Health. Of those, 659 are being treated in intensive care for COVID-related illnesses — also a new high — and 623 continue to test positive for the virus. Some 442 people in critical care require a ventilator to breathe.
Critical Care Services Ontario, a government agency that compiles a daily tally of hospitalizations for hospitals and health organizations, says that 64 more people with COVID-19 were admitted to ICUs yesterday alone.
The Ministry of Health told the Canadian Press that Ontario may activate a field hospital that was assembled in the parking lot at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto as hospitals in the city and surrounding regions struggle with an influx of patients.
"Unfortunately our situation is dire," Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe said during a Thursday afternoon news conference.