Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 2,290 new cases today — the fourth straight day of cases over 2,000, increasing the seven-day average of daily cases by 63 to 2,089.
“The trends we’re seeing throughout Ontario are very, very concerning,” Premier Doug Ford said in a statement today, following yesterday’s call by the Ontario Hospital Association that the province implement additional lockdowns, adding that he will be holding an emergency meeting over the weekend with all CEOs of all hospitals in Ontario.
VIDEO: Statement from Premier Doug Ford
Ford said he will make an announcement on Monday afternoon (December 21) on further public health restrictions, and that existing regions in lockdowns that were set to expire on Monday — Toronto and Peel — will remain in lockdown. On Friday (December 18), the provincial government also announced Hamilton would be moving into lockdown on Monday.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report and 25 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 15 to 108.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (691), Peel (361), York (296), Windsor-Essex (207), and Hamilton (126).
There are double-digit increases in Durham (89), Waterloo (84), Simcoe Muskoka (61), Halton (57), Ottawa (52), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (51), Niagara (47), Southwestern Public Health (37), Middlesex-London (30), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (16), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (13), and Thunder Bay (11), with smaller increases in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (9), Lambton (9), Haldimand-Norfolk (8), Renfrew (7), Chatham-Kent (7), and Huron Perth (6).
The remaining 11 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 4 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 (848) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 642 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 1,992 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to 85.6%. The average positivity rate across Ontario since yesterday has decreased by 0.1% to 3.9%, meaning that 39 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 17.
Ontario is reporting 40 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 11 in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have decreased by 42 to 877, with 2 fewer patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 4 fewer patients on ventilators.
A total of 58,178 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 2,604 to 81,235.
There are 133 new cases in Ontario schools today, a decrease of 37 from yesterday, with 111 student cases and 22 staff cases. There are 13 new cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 16 from yesterday, with 9 cases among children and 4 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report, including 5 in Northumberland, 4 in Peterborough, and 3 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Kawartha Lakes or Haliburton.
An outbreak was declared at Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon on December 17 after an employee tested positive
None of the cases reported today in Ontario schools or licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
An additional 25 cases have been resolved, including 13 in Hastings Prince Edward, 7 in Peterborough, 3 in Northumberland, and 2 in Kawartha Lakes.
There are currently 108 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 15 from yesterday, including 35 in Hastings Prince Edward (14 in Quinte West and 12 in Belleville), 45 in Northumberland, 21 in Peterborough, and 7 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 264 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (238 resolved with 5 deaths), 219 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (191 resolved with 32 deaths), 183 in Northumberland County (134 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (27 resolved with no deaths), and 238 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (198 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 151,257 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,290 from yesterday, with 129,417 cases resolved (85.6% of all cases), an increase of 1,992 from yesterday. There have been 4,098 deaths, an increase of 40 from yesterday, with 2,537 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 11 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 42 to 877, with 2 fewer patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 4 fewer patients on ventilators. A total of 7,234,913 tests have been completed, an increase of 58,178 from yesterday, with 81,235 tests under investigation, an increase of 2,604 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: 264 (increase of 4)
Active cases: 21 (decrease of 3)
Close contacts: 68 (decrease of 4)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 238 (increase of 7)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 38,200 (increase of 100)
Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven in Peterborough (no change)
*Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports that, as of December 18, there is currently 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: 429, including 219 in Kawartha Lakes, 183 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 4 in Northumberland)*
Active cases: 52, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes and 45 in Northumberland (net decrease of 2)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 317, including 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 163 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net increase of 7)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 357, including 193 in Kawartha Lakes, 137 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 5, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay, Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon (increase of 1)**
*Two previously reported cases have been transferred to another health unit, reducing the case counts by 1 in Kawartha Lakes and by 1 in Northumberland.
**This total includes 118 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***An outbreak at Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon was declared on December 17 after an employee tested positive.
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: 238 (increase of 3)
Active cases: 35 (decrease of 10)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 3 (increase of 2)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (increase of 1)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 198 (increase of 13)
Swabs completed: 15,867 (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: Seasons Dufferin Centre in Quinte West (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 151,257 (increase of 2,290)
Resolved: 129,417 (increase of 1,992, 85.6% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 877 (decrease of 42)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 261 (decrease of 2)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 168 (decrease of 4)
Deaths: 4,098 (increase of 40)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,537 (increase of 11)
Total tests completed: 7,234,913 (increase of 68,246)
Tests under investigation: 81,235 (increase of 2,604)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
