Ontario health officials say there are currently 1,563 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 204 patients in intensive care.

The total number of people sick in hospitals slightly decreased from 1,662 on Friday to 1,563 on Saturday.

The number of people in intensive care units across the province also slightly decreased on Saturday from 210 the previous day to 204.

Officials also reported 24 more deaths from COVID-19, all of which occurred in the past thirty days.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 12,962 have died from the disease. The province reported 2,164 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, but health officials warned the number is lower than reality due to testing limitations and backlog, with 14,521 processed in the past 24 hours.

The Ministry of Health says the positivity rate in the province is around 13.1 percent. In the Greater Toronto Area, officials reported 519 new cases in Toronto, 168 new cases in York Region, 162 new cases in Peel Region, 100 new cases in Durham Region, 66 new cases in Halton Region, and officials reported 119 new cases in Hamilton.

All other regions reported fewer than 100 new cases. The province considered 2,820 more cases resolved as of Saturday, bringing the number of recovered patients in Ontario to 1,235,302.

Today's report raises the total number of confirmed cases in Ontario to 1,272,972. The province reported 106 resident cases and 30 cases in long-term care settings across Ontario.

Three of the 24 deaths reported on Saturday involved residents in long-term care. Officials said 203 care homes are currently dealing with outbreaks.