Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row, with 2,139 cases reported today.
Because of changes in the way Public Health Ontario collects data, yesterday’s record total of 2,275 new cases included some cases that previously would have been reported today. Regardless, the average number of cases reported over the past two days is 2,207, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 35 to 1,962.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 6 new cases to report and 14 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 8 to 126.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (780), Peel (528), York (148), Durham (143), and Windsor-Essex (111).
There are double-digit increases in Halton (55), Waterloo (52), Niagara (51), Hamilton (47), Simcoe Muskoka (46), Ottawa (36), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (33), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (15), Huron Perth (13), Middlesex-London (12), Thunder Bay (11), Southwestern Public Health (11), and Eastern Ontario Health Unit (10), with smaller increases in Haldimand-Norfolk (8), Hastings Prince Edward (7), and Brant County (7).
The remaining 13 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 7 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 55% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (819) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 618 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 2,043 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 85.6%. The average positivity rate across Ontario since yesterday has decreased by 0.3% to 5.1%, meaning that 51 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 15.
Ontario is reporting 43 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 22 in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have increased by 11 to 932, with 7 more patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs and 1 additional patient on a ventilator.
A total of 49,189 tests were completed yesterday, and the backlog of tests under investigation has increased by 19,827 to 65,597.
There are 223 new cases in Ontario schools today, a decrease of 96 from yesterday, with 188 student cases, 34 staff cases, and 1 case in an unidentified individual. There are 35 new cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 20 from yesterday, with 22 cases among children and 13 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 6 new cases to report, including 3 in Northumberland, 2 in Peterborough, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Kawartha Lakes or Haliburton.
None of the cases reported today in Ontario schools or licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
An additional 5 cases have been resolved in Northumberland, 5 in Hastings Prince Edward, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, and 2 in Peterborough.
There are currently 126 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 49 in Hastings Prince Edward (including 20 in Quinte West and 20 in Belleville), 43 in Northumberland, 24 in Peterborough, 9 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 257 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (228 resolved with 5 deaths), 218 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (190 resolved with 32 deaths), 174 in Northumberland County (130 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (26 resolved with no deaths), and 233 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (179 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 146,535 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,139 from yesterday, with 125,416 cases resolved (85.6% of all cases), an increase of 2,043 from yesterday. There have been 4,035 deaths, an increase of 43 from yesterday, with 2,513 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 22 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has increased by 11 to 932, with 7 more patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs and 1 additional patient on a ventilator. A total of 7,108,489 tests have been completed, an increase of 49,189 from yesterday, with 65,597 tests under investigation, an increase of 19,827 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: 257 (increase of 2)
Active cases: 24 (no change)
Close contacts: 79 (decrease of 2)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 228 (increase of 2)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 38,000 (increase of 50)
Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven in Peterborough (increase of 1)**
*Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports that, as of December 15, there is 1 patient with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit.
**On December 15, the health unit declared an outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough after an employee tested positive.
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: 419, including 218 in Kawartha Lakes, 174 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 3 in Northumberland)
Active cases: 53, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 43 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (decrease of 3, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 175, including 25 in Kawartha Lakes, 149 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (net increase of 21)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 346, including 190 in Kawartha Lakes, 130 in Northumberland, 26 in Haliburton (increase of 7, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay (no change)
*One case reported for a previous date has been added to the total case count. This is not reported as a new case, but has increased the case count for Northumberland by 1.
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: 233 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 49 (decrease of 5)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 179 (increase of 5)
Swabs completed: 14,985 (increase of 100)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 146,535 (increase of 2,139)
Resolved: 125,416 (increase of 2,043, 85.6% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 932 (increase of 11)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 256 (increase of 7)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 157 (increase of 1)
Deaths: 4,035 (increase of 43)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,513 (increase of 22)
Total tests completed: 7,108,489 (increase of 49,189)
Tests under investigation: 65,597 (increase of 19,827)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
