With Ontario reporting a single-day record of 700 new COVID-19 cases, Premier Doug Ford confirmed the province is now experiencing a second wave of COVID-19.
“Our health officials are telling us that Ontario is now in the second wave of COVID-19,” Ford said at a media conference at Queen’s Park on Monday (September 28), along with health minister Christine Elliott, finance minister Rob Phillips, and Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams. “We know that this wave will be more complicated, more complex — it’ll be worse than the first wave we faced earlier this year.”
Ford’s announcement of another element of the government’s COVID-19 fall preparedness plan — $52.5 million to recruit, retain, and support over 3,700 more frontline health care workers and caregivers to ensure the health care system can meet any surge in demand — was overshadowed by the 700 new cases, the highest daily increase in cases since the pandemic began.
“Together, our collective actions will decide if we face a wave or a tsunami,” Ford said. “This is extremely, extremely serious. Everything is on the table.”
The record increase in numbers comes after hundreds of people attended an unsanctioned car rally in Wasaga Beach over the weekend, ignoring provincial restrictions on social gatherings as well as physical distancing directives. Ford’s frustration was evident when a reporter asked about the rally.
“They’re just sticking their nose up,” Ford said. “If they think they’re doing it to me, they’re doing it to the 14 and a half million people of Ontario. You’re just hurting your own family members. Who wants to hurt their own family? Who wants to hurt their grandparents? Maybe these guys do. And it’s not just young kids, it’s people under the age of 40 for the most part. They’re grown adults doing this.”
“I hope every one of them gets a $10,000 fine, I really do,” Ford added.
The 700 new cases reported today exceeds the previous record of 640 cases, reported on April 24. Of the new cases, almost half are in Toronto (344) alone, with significant increases also in Peel (104), Ottawa (89) and York (56) and smaller increases in Niagara (20), Halton (15), Simcoe Muskoka (12), Middlesex-London (9), Waterloo (9), Eastern Ontario (7), and Durham (7). The remaining 23 public health units are reporting 5 or fewer cases, with 12 reporting no new cases.
Of today’s cases, 60% are among people under the age of 40. The backlog of tests under investigation has decreased by 15,475 to 49,586.
The number of hospitalizations has also jumped by 16, the third straight day of double-digit increases, for a total of 128 patients admitted to hospital because of COVID-19. However, the number of patients in ICUs and ventilators has increased only by 1 each. There has been 1 new death.
There are 36 new cases identified in Ontario schools (27 students, 3 staff, and 6 unidentified individuals) and 6 new cases in licensed child care settings (4 child and 2 staff).
In the greater Kawarthas region, there is one new case to report today in Peterborough, 2 new cases to report in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 new case in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Prince Edward and Hastings counties. There are currently 11 active cases in Peterborough, 6 active cases in Northumberland, 1 active case in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 active case in Prince Edward and Hastings counties.
Of the new cases in schools, 3 are among students of Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute in Peterborough (these were first reported by Peterborough Public Health on September 24). None of the child care cases are in the greater Kawarthas region.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 120 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (107 resolved with 2 deaths), 181 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (159 resolved with 32 deaths), 43 in Northumberland County (39 resolved with 1 death), 16 in Haliburton County (15 resolved with no deaths), and 53 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (47 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on September 8.
Province-wide, there have been 50,531 confirmed cases, an increase of 700 from yesterday, with 43,127 (85.3% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 331. There have been 2,840 deaths, an increase of 2 from yesterday), with 1,833 deaths reported in long-term care homes, an increase of 1. A total of 3,849,337 tests have been completed, an increase of 41,111 from yesterday, with 49,586 tests under investigation, a decrease of 15,475 from yesterday.
This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), as well as any additional information supplied by health units. This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data. Note that each health unit reports the information in a different way.
Peterborough Public Health
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
Confirmed positive: 120 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 11 (increase of 1)
Deaths: 2 (no change)
Resolved: 107 (no change)
Total tests completed: Over 28,900 (increase of 650)
Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven (no change)*
*On September 28, Fairhaven reported the outbreak was declared over, but Peterborough Public Health subsequently confirmed a second positive case in an employee of the long-term care home.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 240, including 181 in Kawartha Lakes, 43 in Northumberland, 16 in Haliburton (increase of 3, 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Haliburton)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 15 (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 213, including 159 in Kawartha Lakes, 39 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (increase of 3 in Northumberland)
Active cases: 7, including 6 in Northumberland, 1 in Kawartha Lakes (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 53 (no change)
Active cases: 1 (no change)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Hospitalized: 0 (no change)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change)
Recovered: 47 (no change)
Total tests completed: 35,781 (increase of 236)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 50,531 (increase of 700)
Resolved: 43,127 (increase of 331, 85.3% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 128 (increase of 16)*
Hospitalized and in ICU: 29 (increase of 1)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 17 (increase of 1)
Deaths: 2,840 (increase of 1)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,833 (increase of 1)
Total tests completed: 3,849,337 (increase of 41,111)
Tests under investigation: 49,586 (decrease of 15,475)
*A number of hospitals (approximately 40) did not submit data to the daily bed census for September 26. The number of hospitalized patients may increase when reporting compliance increases.
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
This story has been updated to include the latest report from Peterborough Public Health.
