Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario reporting 2,408 new cases today, the ninth straight day of cases over 2,000 and the second-highest case count on a single day since the pandemic began.
With today’s new cases, the seven-day average of daily cases across the province has increased by 38 to 2,304.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 11 new cases to report and 23 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 9 to 95.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (629), Peel (448), Windsor-Essex (234), York (190), Hamilton (150), and Durham (136).
There are double-digit increases in Halton (88), Waterloo (80), Niagara (76), Middlesex-London (72), Ottawa (56), Southwestern Public Health (53), Simcoe Muskoka (46), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (31), Thunder Bay (18), Lambton (18), Haldimand-Norfolk (15), Brant (14), and Huron Perth (11), with smaller increases in Eastern Ontario Health Unit (9), Chatham-Kent (9), and Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (6).
The remaining 12 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 2 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 52% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (887) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 676 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 2,243 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 85.5%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.2% to 4.8%, meaning that 48 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 22.
Ontario is reporting 41 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 14 deaths in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have decreased by 3 to 1,002, with 2 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 14 more patients on ventilators.
A total of 56,660 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 19,104 to 66,976.
Due to the winter break and the remote learning period during the provincial shutdown, there will be no data to report between December 22 and January 8. There are 31 new cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 15 from yesterday, with 11 cases among children and 20 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 11 new cases to report, including 7 in Peterborough, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward, 1 in Northumberland, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
An additional 23 cases have been resolved, including 10 in Northumberland, 6 in Peterborough, 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes.
Outbreaks have been declared at Riverview Manor in Peterborough and at an unidentified congregate living setting in the Peterborough area. Outbreaks at Seasons Dufferin Centre in Quinte West and Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay have been declared over.
There are 2 new cases in licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region: 1 staff case at Hucklebug-Stepping Stone Child Care in Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township in Peterborough County and 1 child case at Trent River Public School Before and After School in Quinte West.
There are currently 95 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 9 from yesterday, including 38 in Northumberland, 28 in Peterborough, 25 in Hastings Prince Edward (9 in Quinte West, 5 in Belleville, 8 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 1 in Central Hastings), and 4 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 287 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (254 resolved with 5 deaths), 224 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (201 resolved with 33 deaths), 215 in Northumberland County (176 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (27 resolved with no deaths), and 258 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (228 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 162,663 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,408 from yesterday, with 139,010 cases resolved (85.5% of all cases), an increase of 2,243 from yesterday. There have been 4,229 deaths, an increase of 41 from yesterday, with 2,608 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 14 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 3 to 1,002, with 2 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 14 more patients on ventilators. A total of 7,527,962 tests have been completed, an increase of 56,660 from yesterday, with 66,976 tests under investigation, an increase of 19,104 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: 287 (increase of 7)
Active cases: 28 (increase of 1)
Close contacts: 130 (increase of 20)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 254 (increase of 6)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 13 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 38,550 (increase of 50)
Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven in Peterborough, Riverview Manor in Peterborough, Unidentified congregate living setting (increase of 2)*
*As of December 23, Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports 1 patient with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit and 1 patient with COVID-19 in the ICU (transferred from another hospital).
**An outbreak at Riverview Manor in Peterborough was declared on December 23. An outbreak at an unidentified congregate living setting was declared on December 23.
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: 461, including 224 in Kawartha Lakes, 215 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)*
Active cases: 42, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes and 38 in Northumberland (decrease of 6 in Northumberland)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 343, including 27 in Kawartha Lakes, 187 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net decrease of 26)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 404, including 201 in Kawartha Lakes, 176 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 11, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 10 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg (decrease of 1)**
*A total of 3 additional cases reported previously and transferred from other health units. These are not considered new cases, but have increased the case count for Northumberland by 3.
**This total includes 124 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***An outbreak at Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay has been declared over.
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: 258 (increase of 2)
Active cases: 25 (decrease of 4)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 3 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 228 (increase of 6)
Swabs completed: 23,209 (increase of 7,342)
Institutional outbreaks: None (decrease of 1)*
*An outbreak at Seasons Dufferin Centre in Quinte West was declared over on December 23.
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 162,663 (increase of 2,408)
Resolved: 139,010 (increase of 2,243, 85.5% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 1,002 (decrease of 3)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 275 (increase of 2)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 186 (increase of 14)
Deaths: 4,229 (increase of 41)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,608 (increase of 16)
Total tests completed: 7,527,962 (increase of 56,660)
Tests under investigation: 66,976 (increase of 19,104)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
