Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
As Ontario reports a new record high of 3,519 cases and 89 deaths, the provincial government has announced online learning for all elementary students in southern Ontario will be extended until Monday, January 25th — the same date when secondary school students are scheduled to return to class.
Elementary sudents were originally scheduled to return to schools for in-person learning on Monday, January 11th.
At a media conference earlier today, Premier Doug Ford said the positivity rate among children has spiked since schools closed before the holidays. In late November and early December, the positivity rate for kids aged 12 to 13 years old was 5.4 per cent; in early January, it has climbed to nearly 20 per cent.
“One in every five children under the age of 13, they’re testing positive,” Ford said. “That’s not mentioning all the other kids that haven’t been tested, that might have a runny nose or cough. I will never, ever put our kids in jeopardy.”
The government attributes the increase in cases to children being infected while at home over the holidays, when some families ignored public health advice and got together with others not in their households. Targeted testing done among students and staff in December has confirmed that schools are not a significant source of transmission. To support families during this extended school closure, child care centres, and home-based child care services will remain open.
With cases rising in northern communities, the government is also extending the shutdown in northern Ontario for another 14 days, until at least January 23, aligning with the shutdown period in southern Ontario. However, elementary students in northern Ontario will return to in-person learning on Monday, January 11th.
With today’s record-high increase in new cases, the seven-day average of daily cases across the province has increased by 76 to 3,141. Of Ontario’s 34 public health units, 10 are reporting new cases in the triple digits.
The province is also reporting 89 deaths — the highest single-day number of COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began — including 43 deaths in long-term care homes and the second death in Kawartha Lakes in just two days.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 31 new cases to report and 29 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 8 from yesterday to 189.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (891), Peel (568), York (457), Windsor-Essex (208), Waterloo (175), Durham (174), Ottawa (164), Hamilton (146), Middlesex-London (115), and Niagara (112).
There are double-digit increases in Halton (95), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (90), Simcoe Muskoka (78), Eastern Ontario (36), Brant (27), Southwestern (22), Chatham-Kent (19), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (17), Grey Bruce (16), Northwestern (15), Algoma (12), Peterborough (12), Huron Perth (12), Haldimand-Norfolk (11), North Bay Parry Sound (10), and Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (10), with smaller increases in Sudbury (9) and Thunder Bay (7).
The remaining 6 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 1 health unit (Renfrew) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 50.4% are among people older than 40, with the highest number of cases (1,289) among people ages 20-39, followed by 1,051 cases among people ages 40-59, 514 cases among people ages 60-79, and 448 cases among people ages 19 and under. With 2,776 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 84.6%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased since yesterday by 2.4% to 6.1%, meaning that 61 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 6.
Ontario is reporting a record-high 89 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 43 deaths in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have increased by 9 to 1,472. With 2 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs reported today, there are now 363 COVID-19 ICU patients in Ontario. With 4 fewer COVID-19 patients on ventilators reported today, there are now 242 COVID-19 patients on ventilators.
A total of 65,772 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 10,288 to 65,772. A total of 72,631 doses of vaccine have been administered, with 12,251 daily doses administered and 2,173 total vaccinations completed (i.e., both doses).
Due to the winter break and the remote learning period during the provincial shutdown, there will be no data to report for Ontario schools until January 25. There are 43 new cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 14 from yesterday, with 16 cases among children and 27 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 31 new cases to report, including 13 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Peterborough, 7 in Northumberland, and 3 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Haliburton. None of the new cases reported today in licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Kawartha Lakes — the second in two days — with 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes. There is also 1 new hospitalization in Peterborough.
An additional 29 cases have been resolved, including 9 in Hastings Prince Edward, 8 in Peterborough, 8 in Northumberland, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
There are currently 189 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 8 from yesterday, including 85 in Peterborough, 42 in Kawartha Lakes, 30 in Northumberland, 27 in Hastings Prince Edward (8 in Quinte West, 14 in Belleville, 3 in Prince Edward County, and 2 in Central Hastings), and 5 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 414 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (324 resolved with 5 deaths), 297 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (234 resolved with 34 deaths), 281 in Northumberland County (248 resolved with 3 deaths), 35 in Haliburton County (30 resolved with no deaths), and 319 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (287 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Kawartha Lakes on January 7.
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: 414 (increase of 8)
Active cases: 85 (decrease of 7)
Close contacts: 175 (increase of 8)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 324 (increase of 15)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 17 (increase of 1)*
Total tests completed: Over 39,650 (increase of 50)
Outbreaks: Community Living Trent Highlands group home in Peterborough, Unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough, Workplace in Otonabee-South Monaghan (no change)
*The health unit is reporting no additional hospitalizations. However, as of January 7, Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports a total of 4 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit. This is an increase of 1 from yesterday.
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: 613, including 297 in Kawartha Lakes, 281 in Northumberland, and 35 in Haliburton (increase of 20, including 13 in Kawartha Lakes and 7 in Northumberland)*
Active cases: 78, including 42 in Kawartha Lakes, 30 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net increase of 6)
Probable cases: 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland (no change)
High-risk contacts: 130, including 42 in Kawartha Lakes, 65 in Northumberland, and 7 in Haliburton (net decrease of 18)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 26, including 17 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)***
Deaths: 37, including 34 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland (increase of 1, in Kawartha Lakes)
Resolved: 512, including 234 in Kawartha Lakes, 248 in Northumberland, 30 in Haliburton (increase of 23, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)
Institutional outbreaks: Christian Horizons group home in Northumberland, Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope (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 16 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of January 7, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 4 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
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: 319 (increase of 3)
Active cases: 27 (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: 287 (increase of 9)
Swabs completed: 30,187 (increase of 2)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 204,145 (increase of 3,519)
Resolved: 172,571 (increase of 2,776, 84.5% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 6.1% (decrease of 2.4%)
Hospitalized: 1,472 (increase of 9)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 363 (increase of 2)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 242 (decrease of 4)
Deaths: 4,856 (increase of 89)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,928 (increase of 43)
Total tests completed: 8,294,922 (increase of 65,772)
Tests under investigation: 65,772 (increase of 10,288)
Vaccinations: 12,251 daily doses administered, 72,631 total doses administered, 2,173 total vaccinations completed (2 doses)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
