Ontario reports over 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 this month; top doc points to Delta

Ontario has reported the deaths of more than 1,000 people due to COVID-19 so far this month.

The province has logged persistently high numbers of fatalities each day this month, despite the dominant Omicron variant of the virus typically causing milder illness and all but replacing the more severe Delta variant almost six weeks ago, while circulating among a well-vaccinated population.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said officials are trying to ascertain what factors are causing so many Ontarians to die, including whether Delta or Omicron or a combination of the two is responsible, but whole genome sequencing to determine variant type takes weeks.

Essentially 100 per cent of outbreaks in the community are Omicron right now, Moore said, but roughly 10 per cent of hospital admissions are still "relevant to Delta."

"Death is a delayed signal from an outbreak, given that we've got access to health care and an ability to try to protect people through hospitalization and intensive care unit settings," he said this week.