The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha has held steady this week at 53 — an encouraging sign according to Peterborough Medical Officer of Health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra.
During her weekly media briefing held on Wednesday (April 15), Dr. Salvaterra notes there have been no new positive cases reported since Monday (April 13) and just eight reported over the last seven days.
“We’ve put our data on a curve from the first case we had — March 2nd was the onset of symptoms — to today and you can see the curve is not rising as steeply as it was a few weeks ago,” says Dr. Salvaterra, adding there are benchmarks she has to see in the weeks ahead to convince her that we are closer to the end of the COVID-19 crisis.
“We would definitely want to see this continue. We would love to see days with no new cases. We would want to see the numbers at the hospital requiring ICU care decrease. We also want to see more testing being done and we’d like to see the tests coming back negative. The more we look for it and can’t find it, the more reassuring it is that we’re not missing it in the community.”
To date, 1,393 COVID-19 tests have been conducted locally with results awaited on 207 of those tested. Another 1,133 tests have come back negative, while 24 cases have now been resolved.
The first COVID-19 related death in the Peterborough area was reported on Sunday (April 12) by the Peterborough Regional Health Centre. Facebook posts identified the patient as 68-year-old Peterborough photographer and retired psychologist Dr. George Dimitroff.
Dr. Salvaterra notes there is now “capacity in the system to provide timely diagnosis for anyone who needs it,” adding test results for “priority populations are usually being reported within 24 hours.”
“Peterborough Public Health has now been asked to serve as regional hub for COVID-19 testing kits. We are in the process of assessing the needs of our community partners so we can order supplies to meet their demands. Peterborough is ready. We are awaiting guidance for testing specific vulnerable groups.”
Meanwhile, concerns expressed by rural township officials and resident about cottagers coming into their communities will soon see Peterborough Public Health reinforce the stay-at-home demand via the launch of a digital advertising campaign emphasizing that message.
“We’re taking an educational approach,” notes Dr. Salvaterra. “The measures that have been taken as part of the provincial directives — the closure of marinas, the closure of provincial parks — add to the messaging by removing access and making it more challenging for people to get their water access (properties).”
The health unit has also been in contact with the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Association (FOCA), which is “completely on board” according to Dr. Salvaterra and is asking its members to avoid heading to their cottages.
For the most recent information on COVID-19 in Ontario and the Peterborough area, visit ontario.ca/coronavirus or peterboroughpublichealth.ca.
Peterborough Regional Health Centre is also providing news, updates, information and resources on its website at prhc.on.ca/cms/covid-19-novel-coronavirus.
