Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 2,005 new cases today, the lowest number of new cases since December 14 when 1,940 cases were reported. The seven-day average of daily cases across the province has decreased by 45 to 2,212.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report and 4 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 8 to 129.
Today, Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe provided an update on confirmed cases in Ontario of the COVID-19 variant first identified in the UK. A third case of the variant has been reported in an Ottawa individual who had recently travelled to the UK. The local health unit has informed the individual, who is now in self-isolation, and case and contact management investigation is underway.
Dr. Jaffe also says that further investigation has revealed the first two confirmed cases of the variant — a couple from Durham — had indeed been in contact with a recent traveller from the U.K. It was initially reported the couple had no known travel history, exposure, or high-risk contacts — raising questions about how they could have become infected with the variant.
“This further reinforces the need for Ontarians to stay home as much as possible and continue to follow all public health advice, including the province-wide shutdown measures,” said Dr. Yaffe. “This is also an important reminder about the need for arriving international travellers to maintain quarantine for 14 days.”
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (572), Peel (331), York (207), and Windsor-Essex (140).
There are double-digit increases in Waterloo (89), Niagara (83), Halton (80), Hamilton (74), Durham (71), Middlesex-London (53), Ottawa (49), Simcoe Muskoka (41), Lambton (37), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (34), Southwestern Public Health (28), Huron Perth (20), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (18), Peterborough Public Health (14), and Brant (11), with smaller increases in Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (9), Grey Bruce (8), Haldimand-Norfolk (8), and Chatham-Kent (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, 51% are among people 40 years of age and older, with the highest number of cases (601) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 590 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 2,005 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 85.9%. The average positivity rate across Ontario is not available on weekends.
Ontario is reporting 18 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 14 deaths in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have increased by 68 to 823, but this total does not include data from more than 10% of hospitals. There is 1 less patient with COVID-19 in an ICU and 7 more patients on ventilators.
A total of 41,783 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation at 27,278.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report, including 7 in Peterborough and 5 in Hastings Prince Edward. Reports for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton are not issued on Sundays.
An additional 4 cases have been resolved in Hastings Prince Edward.
There is 1 new hospitalization to report in Hastings Prince Edward. The outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough was declared over on December 26
There are currently 129 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 8 from yesterday, including 53 in Peterborough, 36 in Northumberland, 21 in Hastings Prince Edward (5 in Quinte West, 9 in Belleville, 4 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 1 in Central Hastings), 18 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 320 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (262 resolved with 5 deaths), 239 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (202 resolved with 33 deaths), 223 in Northumberland County (185 resolved with 1 death), 28 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 171,416 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,005 from yesterday, with 147,178 cases resolved (85.9% of all cases), an increase of 2,005 from yesterday. There have been 4,377 deaths, an increase of 18 from yesterday, with 2,696 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 14 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has increased by 68 to 823, but this total does not include data from more than 10% of hospitals. There is 1 less patient with COVID-19 in an ICU and 7 more patients on ventilators. A total of 7,745,313 tests have been completed, an increase of 41,783 from yesterday, with 27,278 tests under investigation.
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, excluding statutory holidays. No report will be issued on December 28 or January 1.
Confirmed positive: 320 (increase of 7)
Active cases: 53 (increase of 7)
Close contacts: 222 (increase of 67)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 262 (no change)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 13 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 38,900 (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: Riverview Manor in Peterborough, Unidentified congregate living setting (decrease of 1)**
*As of December 18, 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).
**The outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough was declared over on December 26.
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 26.
Confirmed positive: 490, including 239 in Kawartha Lakes, 223 in Northumberland, 28 in Haliburton (increase of 17, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Northumberland, 1 in Haliburton)*
Active cases: 55, including 18 in Kawartha Lakes, 36 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)
Probable cases: 0 (decrease of 1)
High-risk contacts: 295, including 32 in Kawartha Lakes, 167 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (net decrease of 29)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 19, including 12 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 414, including 202 in Kawartha Lakes, 185 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 8, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and in 7 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg (decrease of 1)***
*Two previously reported cases have been added to today’s counts but are not considered new cases. One previously reported case for Kawartha Lakes was determined to be a false positive and has been removed from the case count.
**This total includes 94 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***An outbreak declared at Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon on December 18 is no longer listed on the health unit’s website.
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. These numbers are from December 26 and 27.
Confirmed positive: 265 (increase of 5)
Active cases: 21 (increase of 1)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 3 (increase of 1)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 239 (increase of 4)
Swabs completed: 26,365 (increase of 3,153)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 171,416 (increase of 2,005)
Resolved: 147,178 (increase of 2,005, 85.9% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 823 (increase of 68)*
Hospitalized and in ICU: 285 (decrease of 1)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 194 (increase of 7)
Deaths: 4,377 (increase of 18)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,696 (increase of 14)
Total tests completed: 7,745,313 (increase of 41,783)
Tests under investigation: 27,278
*This total excludes data from more than 10% of hospitals.
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
