Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
With Ontario reporting 1,373 new COVID-19 cases today, and the number of active cases in the Kawarthas region climbing to 65 with 13 new cases today, the provincial government has provided its public health advice on how to safely celebrate the holiday season.
“We’re asking everyone to please stick to your own household when celebrating,” Premier Doug Ford said at a Queen’s Park media conference on Wednesday (November 25), along with health minister Christine Elliott and Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams. “Avoid big holiday parties or large family dinners to help us stop the spread of this deadly virus.”
The province’s top public health officials are recommending Ontarians only celebrate the holidays in person with the people they live with, and celebrate virtually with everyone else. People who live alone are asked to consider exclusively celebrating with one additional household.
The province’s public health advice for the holiday season recommends against riskier holiday activities, including in-person holiday gathering events (particularly where where masks must be removed to eat or drink), indoor holiday activities such as having overnight guests or sleepovers with friends or people outside your household, visiting Santa Claus (or Mrs. Claus and their elves) indoors and taking photos without being two metres apart (and sitting on Santa’s lap is not permitted), visiting family and friends for non-essential reasons, travelling from higher transmission areas to lower transmission areas unless essential, or hosting or attending social gatherings or organized public events that do not adhere to provincial or local requirements.
The government says it will be launching a new “holiday web page” to provide detailed guidance on how to plan for a safe holiday season.
“The holidays are a special time of the year for many people, and while we all want to spend time with family and friends, we must celebrate safely to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Elliott said. “With the recent news about several vaccines, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I realize that it won’t be easy, but we must continue to follow public health advice and look for new and creative ways to celebrate this year.”
With today’s 1,373 new cases, the average number of daily cases over the past seven days has decreased by 6 to 1,389.
Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (445), Peel (415), and York (136), with double-digit increases in Waterloo (61), Hamilton (49), Windsor-Essex (48), Simcoe Muskoka (30), Halton (30), Durham (26), Middlesex-London (26), Ottawa (23), Niagara (17), Thunder Bay (13), and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (13), with smaller increases in Southwestern Public Health (7), Middlesex-London (6), Brant County (6), and Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (6).
The remaining 16 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 5 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 53% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (557) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 392 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 1,476 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.3% to 84.9%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 1.1% to 4.7%, meaning that 47 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on November 24.
Ontario reported 35 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 22 in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have decreased by 11 to 523, with no additional patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs but with 15 more patients on ventilators. A total of 36,076 tests were completed yesterday, and the backlog of tests under investigation has increased by 15,634 to 44,950.
There are 162 new cases in Ontario schools to report today, a decrease of 108 from yesterday with 138 student cases and 24 staff cases. There are 22 cases in licensed child care settings, an increase of 9 from yesterday, with 17 cases among children and 5 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 13 new cases to report, including 4 in Hastings and Prince Edwards counties, 3 in Peterborough, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton.
Two additional cases have been resolved in Northumberland, with 1 additional case resolved in Peterborough and 1 additional case resolved in Hastings and Prince Edwards counties.
None of the reported new cases in Ontario schools and child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are currently 65 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 28 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, 18 in Peterborough, 12 in Northumberland, 4 in Haliburton, and 3 in Kawartha Lakes.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 200 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (177 resolved with 5 deaths), 194 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (172 resolved with 32 deaths), 73 in Northumberland County (60 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (23 resolved with no deaths), and 120 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (87 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 107,883 confirmed cases, an increase of 1,373 from yesterday, with 91,550 cases resolved (84.9% of all cases), an increase of 1,476 from yesterday. There have been 3,554 deaths, an increase of 35 from yesterday, with 2,256 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 22 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 11 to 523, with no additional patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs but with 15 more patients on ventilators. A total of 6,020,852 tests have been completed, an increase of 36,076 from yesterday, with 44,950 tests under investigation, an increase of 15,634 from yesterday.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends.
Confirmed positive: 200 (increase of 3)
Active cases: 18 (increase of 2)
Close contacts: 66 (no change)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 177 (increase of 1)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 10 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 36,300 (increase of 100)
Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven (no change)
*The health unit is no longer reporting the total number of hospitalizations.
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 from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 294, including 194 in Kawartha Lakes, 73 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton)
Active cases: 19, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton (net increase of 4)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 41, including 14 in Kawartha Lakes, 24 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (net increase of 3)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 16, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 255, including 172 in Kawartha Lakes, 60 in Northumberland, 23 in Haliburton (increase of 2, in Northumberland)
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 from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 120 (increase of 4)
Active cases: 28 (increase of 3)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 87 (increase of 1)
New swabs completed: 4,131 (decrease of 1,562)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 107,883 (increase of 1,373)
Resolved: 91,550 (increase of 1,476, 84.9% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 523 (decrease of 11)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 159 (no change)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 106 (increase of 15)
Deaths: 3,554 (increase of 35)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,256 (increase of 22)
Total tests completed: 6,020,852 (increase of 36,076)
Tests under investigation: 44,950 (increase of 15,634)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
