Hospital occupancy related to COVID-19 is expected to remain in a "prolonged peak" despite the fact that the Omicron wave in Ontario has plateaued or is in decline, the province’s science table said in new modelling released Tuesday.
Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table released its first projections of 2022 on their website one day after the province began to lift public health restrictions.
As a result of a lack of COVID-19 testing in the province, the science table cited wastewater data in making their projections.
"Taking into account the time lag until diagnosis and reporting, the peak of Ontario’s wastewater signal around Jan. 4, 2022 would correspond to a peak in cases around Jan. 11, 2022," the report said.
The science table also noted that test positivity in among repeat testers, workplace environments and hospital admissions have begun to xjmtzywdecline. Officials attribute this to the public health measures announced at the beginning of January, including a ban on indoor dining and strict gathering limits.
While the number of daily infections may have plateaued, officials say that hospitalizations related to COVID-19 "are at a pandemic high."
The modelling says that hospitalizations are expected to "remain at a prolonged peak, except under the most favourable assumptions."
Pressure on intensive care is also expected to be "prolonged."
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford holds a press conference at Queen’s Park regarding the easing of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Thursday, January 20, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
