Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
With Ontario reporting another record increase of 2,432 cases, increasing the seven-day average of daily cases by 64 to 2,026, the Ontario Hospital Association is calling on the provincial government to implement a four-week lockdown in every public health unit with an infection rate of 40 people per 100,000 or higher.
“The situation is extremely serious,” the association stated on Thursday. “We are now in the holiday season and if members of the public choose to ignore public health measures and gather outside their households, the consequences risk overwhelming Ontario’s hospitals.”
Based on current provincial data, the association’s request would move an additional 15 health units into lockdown: Niagara, Hamilton, Halton, Durham, Brant, Haldimand-Norfolk, Middlesex-London, Southwestern Public Health, Huron-Perth, Waterloo, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, Simcoe-Muskoka, Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington, Eastern Ontario Health Unit, and Thunder Bay.
A reporter asked Premier Doug Ford, who was at a media conference on Thursday afternoon at George Brown College’s waterfront campus in Toronto, to comment on the association’s request.
“It’s very, very concerning, the situation we’re facing,” Ford replied. “Right now, we are going to continue consulting with the CEO of the hospitals as well as Anthony Dale, the CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association.”
“Everything’s on the table,” he added. “We always take the advice from the medical experts.”
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 10 new cases to report and 15 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 3 to 123.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (737), Peel (434), York (209), Windsor-Essex (190), Hamilton (142), and Halton (104).
There are double-digit increases in Waterloo (77), Durham (73), Ottawa (70), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (65), Middlesex-London (63), Simcoe Muskoka (47), Niagara (45), Southwestern Public Health (35), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (19), Huron Perth (17), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (16), and Lambton (11), with smaller increases in Grey Bruce (9), Thunder Bay (8), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (7), Peterborough (7), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (6), and Chatham-Kent (6).
The remaining 10 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 6 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 51% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (886) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 674 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 2,009 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 85.5%. The average positivity rate across Ontario since yesterday has decreased by 1.1% to 4.0%, meaning that 40 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 16.
Ontario is reporting 23 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 13 in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have decreased by 13 to 919, with 7 more patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs, for a total of 263, and 15 additional patients on ventilators, for a total of 172.
A total of 58,178 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 13,034 to 78,631.
There are 170 new cases in Ontario schools today, a decrease of 53 from yesterday, with 143 student cases, 26 staff cases, and 1 case in an unidentified individual. There are 29 new cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 6 from yesterday, with 12 cases among children and 17 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 10 new cases to report, including 4 in Northumberland, 3 in Peterborough, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
None of the cases reported today in Ontario schools or licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
An additional 15 cases have been resolved, including 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, 4 in Northumberland, 3 in Peterborough, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
There are currently 123 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 3 from yesterday, including 45 in Hastings Prince Edward (including 15 in Quinte West and 20 in Belleville), 44 in Northumberland, 24 in Peterborough, and 10 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 260 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (231 resolved with 5 deaths), 220 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (191 resolved with 32 deaths), 178 in Northumberland County (134 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (27 resolved with no deaths), and 235 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (185 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 148,967 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,432 from yesterday, with 127,425 cases resolved (85.5% of all cases), an increase of 2,009 from yesterday. There have been 4,058 deaths, an increase of 23 from yesterday, with 2,526 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 13 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 13 to 919, with 7 more patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs and 15 additional patients on ventilators. A total of 7,166,667 tests have been completed, an increase of 58,178 from yesterday, with 78,631 tests under investigation, an increase of 13,034 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: 260 (increase of 3)
Active cases: 24 (no change)
Close contacts: 72 (decrease of 7)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 231 (increase of 3)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 38,100 (increase of 100)
Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven in Peterborough (no change)
*Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports that, as of December 15, there is 1 patient with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit.
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: 426, including 220 in Kawartha Lakes, 179 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 4 in Northumberland and 1 in Kawartha Lakes)*
Active cases: 54, including 10 in Kawartha Lakes and 44 in Northumberland (net increase of 1)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 317, including 25 in Kawartha Lakes, 169 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net increase of 142)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 352, including 191 in Kawartha Lakes, 134 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)
Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay (no change)
*Two previously reported cases have been transferred to Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. These are not considered new cases, but have increased the case count for Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland by 1 each.
**This total includes 118 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contact’s county.
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: 235 (increase of 2)
Active cases: 45 (decrease of 4)
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: 185 (increase of 6)
Swabs completed: 15,867 (increase of 882)
Institutional outbreaks: Seasons Dufferin Centre in Quinte West (increase of 1)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 148,967 (increase of 2,432)
Resolved: 127,425 (increase of 2,009, 85.5% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 919 (decrease of 13)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 263 (increase of 7)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 172 (increase of 15)
Deaths: 4,058 (increase of 23)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,526 (increase of 13)
Total tests completed: 7,166,667 (increase of 58,178)
Tests under investigation: 78,631 (increase of 13,034)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
