Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
For the first time ever, Ontario has exceeded 3,000 daily COVID-19 cases, reporting 3,328 new cases on the last day of 2020, along with 56 new deaths and 337 COVID-19 patients in ICUs.
This is the third straight day of a record-breaking case count, with the seven-day average of daily cases across the province increasing by 126 to 2,436. Cases are now in the triple digits in 10 Ontario communities.
Back on November 12, Ontario’s top public health officials projected Ontario would have between 3,000 and 4,000 daily cases by the end of December. On December 21, they projected more than 300 ICU beds would be occupied by COVID-19 patients by the end of December.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 27 new cases to report and 14 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 13 to 128.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (888), Peel (431), York (418), Windsor-Essex (257), Ottawa (194), Hamilton (156), Waterloo (127), Durham (114), Middlesex-London (112), and Niagara (110).
There are double-digit increases in Simcoe Muskoka (83), Southwestern Public Health (79), Halton (79), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (58), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (58), Brant (26), Lambton (25), Huron Perth (19), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (13), Chatham-Kent (12), and Haldimand-Norfolk (12), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (10), with smaller increases in Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (9), Sudbury (8), Peterborough (8), Hastings Prince Edward (6), and Renfrew (6).
The remaining 7 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units (all in northern Ontairo) reporting no new cases at all.
New infections continue to predominate in people 40 years of age and older, with 52% of today’s cases in that age group. The highest number of cases (1,123) remains among people ages 20-39, followed by 1,037 cases among people ages 40-59 and 502 cases among people ages 60-79. With 2,213 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.4% to 85.6%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 2.7% to 5.7%, meaning that 57 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 30.
Ontario is reporting 56 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 12 deaths in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have increased by 313 to 1,177. With 14 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs reported today, there are now 337 COVID-19 ICU patients in Ontario. With 6 more COVID-19 patients on ventilators reported today, there are now 210 COVID-19 patients on ventilators.
A total of 63,858 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 17,328 to 72,283. A total of 23,502 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered, with 5,463 administered yseterday.
Due to the winter break and the remote learning period during the provincial shutdown, there will be no data to report for Ontario schools between December 22 and January 8. There are 57 new cases in licensed child care settings, an increase of 17 from ysterday, with 24 cases among children and 33 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 27 new cases to report, including 13 in Peterborough, 6 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Hastings Prince Edward, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton. None of the new cases in licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are 2 new hospitalizations in Peterborough (as reported by Peterborough Regional Health Centre) and 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes.
An additional 14 cases have been resolved, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Peterborough, 2 in Northumberland, 1 in Haliburton, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward,
There are currently 128 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 13 from yesterday, including 70 in Peterborough, 22 in Hastings Prince Edward (10 in Quinte West, 10 in Belleville, 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 1 in North Hastings), 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 15 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 348 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (273 resolved with 5 deaths), 252 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (214 resolved with 32 deaths), 235 in Northumberland County (218 resolved with 2 deaths), 30 in Haliburton County (28 resolved with no deaths), and 281 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (254 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on December 27.
Province-wide, there have been 182,159 confirmed cases, an increase of 3,328 from yesterday, with 156,012 cases resolved (85.6% of all cases), an increase of 2,213 from yesterday. There have been 4,530 deaths, an increase of 56 from yesterday, with 2,777 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 39 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has increased by 58 to 1,235. With 14 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs reported today, there are now 337 COVID-19 ICU patients in Ontario. With 6 more COVID-19 patients on ventilators reported today, there are now 210 COVID-19 patients on ventilators. A total of 7,922,058 tests have been completed, an increase of 63,858 from yesterday, with 72,283 tests under investigation, an increase of 17,328 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, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 348 (increase of 13)
Active cases: 70 (increase of 10)
Close contacts: 233 (increase of 30)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 273 (increase of 3)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 14 (increase of 1)*
Total tests completed: Over 39,200 (increase of 100)
Institutional outbreaks: Riverview Manor in Peterborough, Unidentified congregate living setting (no change)
*As of December 31, Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports a total of 4 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, including 3 patients on an inpatient unit and 1 patient in ICU (transferred from another hospital). This represents an increase of 2 COVID-19 patients.
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: 517, including 252 in Kawartha Lakes, 235 in Northumberland, 30 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 6 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)*
Active cases: 36, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 15 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (no net change)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 266, including 46 in Kawartha Lakes, 185 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (net increase of 30)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 22, including 13 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)
Deaths: 34 (no change)
Resolved: 460, including 214 in Kawartha Lakes, 218 in Northumberland, 28 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)
Institutional outbreaks: Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg (no change)
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**This total includes 28 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: 281 (increase of 4)
Active cases: 22 (increase of 3)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 3 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 254 (increase of 1)
Swabs completed: 26,760 (increase of 15)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 182,159 (increase of 3,328)
Resolved: 156,012 (increase of 2,213, 85.6% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 5.7% (decrease of 2.7%)
Hospitalized: 1,235 (increase of 58)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 337 (increase of 14)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 210 (increase of 6)
Deaths: 4,530 (increase of 56)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,777 (increase of 39)
Total tests completed: 7,922,058 (increase of 63,858)
Tests under investigation: 72,283 (increase of 17,328)
Daily vaccine doses administered: 5,463
Total vaccine doses administered: 23,502
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
