Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 2,357 new cases today — the six straight day of cases over 2,000, increasing the seven-day average of daily cases by 91 to 2,250.
According to Global News, CTV News Toronto, and 680 News, sources familiar with the matter say the Ontario government is planning to implement a province-wide lockdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Christmas Eve (December 24). According to the reports, the lockdown will remain in place for 28 days in southern Ontario and 14 days in northern Ontario.
If the lockdown is based on the current grey-lockdown level of Ontario’s coronavirus response framework, it would mean no indoor social gatherings with anyone outside of your household, the closure of non-essential retail businesses and most fitness facilities, limiting restaurants and bars to take-out service only, and 50 per cent capacity limits on essential retailers.
According to sources, elementary school students would not return to in-school classes until January 11, spending the first week of school in the new year learning at home, and high school students would not return to in-school classes at all during the lockdown.
Premier Doug Ford is expected to announce details of the lockdown at a media conference at Queen’s Park on Monday afternoon.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 8 new cases to report and 14 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 6 to 96. However, these numbers exclude Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton as the health unit does not issue updates on Sundays.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (486), Peel (468), York (326), Windsor-Essex (151), and Niagara (128).
There are double-digit increases in Halton (97), Waterloo (91), Hamilton (88), Durham (82), Middlesex-London (80), Simcoe Muskoka (62), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (48), Ottawa (38), Southwestern Public Health (25), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (22), Lambton (19), Huron Perth (14), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (13), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (10), and Haldimand-Norfolk (10), with smaller increases in Grey Bruce (9), Thunder Bay (8), Timiskaming (7), Hastings Prince Edward (7), and Chatham-Kent (6).
The remaining 9 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units (all in northern Ontario) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 52% are among people 40 years of age and older, with the highest number of cases (769) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 704 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 1,931 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 85.4%. The average positivity rate across Ontario is unavailable on weekends.
Ontario is reporting 25 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 18 in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have decreased by 20 to 875, although over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report. There are 5 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 10 more patients on ventilators.
A total of 69,412 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 23,601 to 54,546.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 8 new cases to report, including 5 in Hastings Prince Edward and 3 in Peterborough. Reports are unavailable on Sunday for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, or Haliburton.
An additional 14 cases have been resolved, including 11 in Hastings Prince Edward and 3 in Peterborough.
There are currently 96 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 6 from yesterday, including 30 in Hastings Prince Edward (11 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 8 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 3 in Central Hastings), 40 in Northumberland, 24 in Peterborough, and 2 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 270 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (241 resolved with 5 deaths), 219 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (198 resolved with 32 deaths), 193 in Northumberland County (152 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (27 resolved with no deaths), and 250 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (215 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 155,930 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,316 from yesterday, with 133,213 cases resolved (85.4% of all cases), an increase of 1,931 from yesterday. There have been 4,150 deaths, an increase of 25 from yesterday, with 2,564 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 18 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 20 to 875, although over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report. There are 5 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 10 more patients on ventilators. A total of 7,371,532 tests have been completed, an increase of 69,412 from yesterday, with 54,546 tests under investigation, a decrease of 23,601 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: 270 (increase of 3)
Active cases: 24 (no change)
Close contacts: 105 (increase of 39)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 241 (increase of 3)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 38,450 (increase of 150)
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. These numbers are from December 19.
Confirmed positive: 439, including 219 in Kawartha Lakes, 193 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 10 in Northumberland)
Active cases: 42, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes and 40 in Northumberland (decrease of 10, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 311, including 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 165 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net decrease of 6)*
Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 377, including 198 in Kawartha Lakes, 152 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 20, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 15 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay, Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon (no change)
*This total includes 117 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ 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: 250 (increase of 5)
Active cases: 30 (decrease of 6)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 2 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 215 (increase of 11)
Swabs completed: 15,867 (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: Seasons Dufferin Centre in Quinte West (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 155,930 (increase of 2,316)
Resolved: 133,213 (increase of 1,931, 85.4% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 875 (decrease of 20)*
Hospitalized and in ICU: 261 (increase of 5)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 156 (increase of 10)
Deaths: 4,150 (increase of 25)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,564 (increase of 18)
Total tests completed: 7,371,532 (increase of 69,412)
Tests under investigation: 54,546 (decrease of 23,601)
*Over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report.
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
