Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
With Ontario reporting 1,848 new COVID-19 cases today (raising the seven-day average by 10 to 1,872), the Ontario government is moving two more public health regions — Windsor-Essex and York Region — into lockdown effective Monday (December 14). In addition, Middlesex-London, Simcoe Muskoka, and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph are moving into “Red-Control”, Eastern Ontario Health Unit is moving into “Orange-Restrict”, and Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit is moving into “Yellow-Protect”.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 25 new cases to report, with 13 additional cases resolved, and the number of active cases in the region has increased by 12 to 118.
On the vaccine front, the Ontario government announced further details of its rollout. After completion of a COVID-19 vaccine readiness pilot at University Health Network in Toronto and The Ottawa Hospital, the province will begin phase one of its vaccine rollout plan. This will see an expected 90,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine received from the federal government delivered to up to 14 hospital sites in Grey-Lockdown and Red-Control zones in December — to vaccinate health care workers in hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, and other congregate settings caring for seniors — followed by 35,000 to 85,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, once approved.
When an increased stockpile of vaccines becomes available to Ontario, the province will shift to phase two of its vaccination implementation plan, expected to begin later in the winter of 2021, when vaccinations will be administered to health care workers, as well as to residents in long-term care homes and retirement homes, to home care patients with chronic conditions, and to additional First Nation communities and urban Indigenous populations, including Métis and Inuit individuals. Ontario will enter phase three when vaccines are available for every Ontarian who wishes to be immunized (vaccinations will be strongly encouraged but not mandatory).
Most of the new cases reported in Ontario today are in Toronto (469), Peel (386), York (205), and Windsor-Essex (106).
There are double-digit increases in Durham (91), Waterloo (77), Ottawa (59), Hamilton (58), Halton (57), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (54), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (46), Simcoe Muskoka (39), Middlesex-London (33), Niagara (25), Renfrew (19), Southwestern Public Health (19), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (17), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (13), Huron Perth (11), Brant County (11), and Thunder Bay (10), with smaller increases in Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (9), Haldimand-Norfolk (9), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (8), Grey Bruce (8), and Lambton (6).
The remaining 8 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 4 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 54% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (709) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 515 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 1,753 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to 85.2%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.4% to 3.2%, meaning that 32 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 10.
Ontario is reporting 45 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 29 in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have decreased by 21 to 808, with 7 more patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs and 8 fewer patients on ventilators.
A total of 63,051 tests were completed yesterday, and the backlog of tests under investigation has increased by 2,954 to 69,280.
There are 151 new cases in Ontario schools today, an increase of 12 from yesterday, with 125 student cases and 26 staff cases. There are 27 new cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 4 from yesterday, with 13 cases among children and 14 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 25 new cases to report, including 12 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (most in Belleville and Quinte West), 8 in Northumberland, 3 in Peterborough, and 2 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
An additional 5 cases have been resolved in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, 5 in Northumberland, 2 in Peterborough, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. The outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough has been declared over.
There is 1 new hospitalization in Northumberland.
Of the cases in Ontario schools, there is 1 confirmed staff case at Spring Valley Public School in Brighton, 2 student cases at Trenton High School in Quinte West, and 1 student case at Trent River Public School in Quinte West. None of the reported cases in licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are currently 118 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 54 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (most in Belleville and Quinte West), 34 in Northumberland, 19 in Peterborough, 10 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 240 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (216 resolved with 5 deaths), 212 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (183 resolved with 32 deaths), 138 in Northumberland County (103 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (26 resolved with no deaths), and 211 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (152 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 136,631 confirmed cases, an increase of 1,848 from yesterday, with 116,432 resolved cases (85.2% of all cases), an increase of 1,753 from yesterday. There have been 3,916 deaths, an increase of 45 from yesterday, with 2,460 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 29 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 21 to 808, with 7 more patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs and 8 fewer patients on ventilators. A total of 6,839,193 tests have been completed, an increase of 63,051 from yesterday, with 69,280 tests under investigation, an increase of 2,954 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: 240 (increase of 3)
Active cases: 19 (increase of 1)
Close contacts: 33 (decrease of 6)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 216 (increase of 2)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 37,600 (increase of 50)
Institutional outbreaks: None (decrease of 1)**
*Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports that, as of December 11, there is 1 patient with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit and 1 patient with COVID-19 in ICU (transferred from a partner hospital).
**The outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough has been declared over.
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 Saturday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 377, including 212 in Kawartha Lakes, 138 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 8 in Northumberland and 2 in Kawartha Lakes)
Active cases: 45, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 137, including 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 111 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (net decrease of 58)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Northumberland)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 312, including 183 in Kawartha Lakes, 103 in Northumberland, 26 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay (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 daily reports, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 211 (increase of 12)
Active cases: 54 (increase of 7)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 152 (increase of 5)
Swabs completed: 10,943
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 136,631 (increase of 1,848)
Resolved: 116,432 (increase of 1,753, 85.2% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 808 (decrease of 21)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 235 (increase of 7)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 124 (decrease of 8)
Deaths: 3,916 (increase of 45)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,460 (increase of 29)
Total tests completed: 6,839,193 (increase of 63,051)
Tests under investigation: 69,280 (increase of 2,954)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
