Ontario reports no new net deaths from COVID-19 for the first time in more than a month, along with another weekly drop in hospitalizations.
It is the first time since May 9 that a 24-hour period has passed without additional deaths being added to the COVID-19 count in the province, which stands at 13,338.
Meanwhile, all other public health indicators continue to show an improvement before a summer that most epidemiologists and public health experts say will see comparatively low levels of viral activity.
The latest data from the Ministry of Health suggest that there are 370 people hospitalized with COVID-19.
This figure represents an incomplete census, as many hospitals do not report employment data on weekends. However, it has dropped 14% from that time last week and almost 40% from two weeks ago.
Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, a total of 112 are in intensive care. At that time, last week, 116 patients with COVID were in the ICU units.
Positivity rates in PCR testing also have a downward trend.
Over the past 24 hours, 6.5 per cent of all tests processed in Ontario laboratories tested positive, resulting in only 357 confirmed cases. This is the lowest number of new cases confirmed in the laboratory in any 24-hour period since November 2.
Experts have warned that the actual number of daily infections is probably 10 times higher than that confirmed by PCR testing due to limited eligibility.
However, it remains the second lowest positivity rate in any 24-hour period since December and has dropped significantly from its peak in April, when nearly 20 percent of all PCR tests tested positive.
Speaking to CP24 on Monday morning, infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch said there is “surely a seasonal component” to COVID-19 with the general burden of infection tending to be relieved in the warmer months when people spend more time outside.
He said there will be “an increase in cases later,” probably starting in the fall.
“You’re already hearing rumors about a possible vaccination strategy for late summer and early fall,” he said. “The real question, though, is who will benefit from this reinforcement. Will it be for the entire population? Will it be for groups at risk? We don’t know the answer to that yet, but it’s certainly on the horizon.”