Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
With Ontario reporting a record 2,447 new cases today, Premier Doug Ford is urging Ontarians not to wait for the province-wide shutdown to stay at home.
“I know the lockdown starts on December 26, but I have to tell you, folks, every time you take a trip, it puts people in jeopardy,” Ford says in a video posted on Twitter. “So please — as of right now — please stay at home when you can. Only go out to get groceries, or medical appointments, or necessary trips.”
“But folks, we will get through this. We have 28 days and we’re going to give it everything we can, and we will come out stronger than ever after this.”
I know the lockdown starts on December 26, but every time you take a trip outside your home it puts people in jeopardy. So please, as of now, stay home when you can. Only go out to get groceries, medication or for necessary trips. pic.twitter.com/jB8ntV0xAS
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) December 24, 2020
Today’s increase is the tenth straight day of cases over 2,000 and the 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 2 to 2,306.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 10 new cases to report and 11 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 1 to 94.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (646), Peel (502), York (263), Windsor-Essex (173), and Hamilton (101).
There are double-digit increases in Niagara (93), Durham (92), Waterloo (82), Ottawa (77), Middlesex-London (67), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (73), Halton (55), Simcoe Muskoka (38), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (30), Southwestern Public Health (30), Thunder Bay (20), Lambton (20), and Brant (16), with smaller increases in Haldimand-Norfolk (11), Peterborough (9), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (8), Grey Bruce (8), Huron Perth (8), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (7), and Chatham-Kent (6).
The remaining 9 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only a single health unit (Algoma) 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 (869) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 723 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 2,013 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 85.4%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 1.1% to 3.7%, meaning that 37 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 23.
Ontario is reporting 49 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 35 deaths in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have decreased by 35 to 967, with 2 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 10 fewer patients on ventilators.
A total of 64,592 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 8,274 to 75,250.
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 24 new cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 7 from yesterday, with 11 cases among children and 13 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 10 new cases to report, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Peterborough, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
An additional 11 cases have been resolved, including 7 in Hastings Prince Edward, 2 in Northumberland, and 2 in Peterborough.
None of the reported cases in licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are currently 94 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 1 from yesterday, including 35 in Northumberland, 29 in Peterborough, 20 in Hastings Prince Edward (6 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 5 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 1 in Central Hastings), and 10 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 290 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (256 resolved with 5 deaths), 230 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (201 resolved with 33 deaths), 215 in Northumberland County (178 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (27 resolved with no deaths), and 260 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (225 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 165,110 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,447 from yesterday, with 141,023 cases resolved (85.4% of all cases), an increase of 2,013 from yesterday. There have been 4,278 deaths, an increase of 49 from yesterday, with 2,643 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 35 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 35 to 967, with 2 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 10 fewer patients on ventilators. A total of 7,592,554 tests have been completed, an increase of 64,592 from yesterday, with 75,250 tests under investigation, an increase of 8,274 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: 290 (increase of 3)
Active cases: 29 (increase of 1)
Close contacts: 128 (decrease of 2)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 256 (increase of 2)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 13 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 38,600 (increase of 50)
Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven in Peterborough, Riverview Manor in Peterborough, Unidentified congregate living setting (no change)
*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).
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: 472, including 230 in Kawartha Lakes, 215 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 5, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)*
Active cases: 45, including 10 in Kawartha Lakes and 35 in Northumberland (net increase of 3)
Probable cases: 1 (increase of 1)
High-risk contacts: 324, including 21 in Kawartha Lakes, 187 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (net decrease of 19)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 406, including 201 in Kawartha Lakes, 178 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 2 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg (no change)
*Two additional cases reported previously have been added to the Kawartha Lakes case count. One case transferred to another health unit has been removed from the Northumberland case count. Two additional cases previously reported have been added to the total health unit case count, and one case transferred to another health unit has been removed from the total case count.
**This total includes 113 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: 260 (increase of 2)
Active cases: 20 (decrease of 5)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 2 (decrease of 1)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (decrease of 1)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 235 (increase of 7)
Swabs completed: 23,212 (increase of 3)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 165,110 (increase of 2,447)
Resolved: 141,023 (increase of 2,013, 85.4% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 967 (decrease of 35)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 277 (increase of 2)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 176 (increase of 10)
Deaths: 4,278 (increase of 49)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,643 (increase of 35)
Total tests completed: 7,592,554 (increase of 64,592)
Tests under investigation: 75,250 (increase of 8,274)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
