Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
On the one-year anniversary of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Canada, the province is reporting 1,958 new cases — the lowest single-day increase since December 28, when 1,939 cases were reported. The seven-day average of daily cases across the province has decreased by 88 to 2,371.
As Ontario deals with delays of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the first shipments of the Moderna vaccine arrived in the greater Kawartha region, Ontario premier Doug Ford announced the province is accelerating the completion of vaccinations for residents of long-term care homes and high-risk retirement homes by February 5 instead of February 15.
“Due to the delay in the next shipment of Pfizer vaccine doses, we are ensuring all available supplies are redirected to those who need them most: our residents in long-term care and retirement homes,” Ford said. “I know this will mean that some people may have to reschedule their vaccine appointments, but it is critical that our most vulnerable seniors receive the protection they need as soon as possible.”
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 24 new cases to report and 36 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 13 to 159. There have been 3 new COVID-related deaths in Kawartha Lakes.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (727), Peel (365), and York (157).
There are double-digit increases in Windsor-Essex (85), Niagara (82), Durham (62), Hamilton (55), Halton (54), Ottawa (51), Middlesex-London (46), Simcoe Muskoka (41), Waterloo (39), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (35), Huron Perth (29), Southwestern (28), Chatham-Kent (22), Lambton (19), Eastern Ontario (11), and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (11), with smaller increases in Brant (9) and Sudbury (8).
The remaining 13 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 52% are among people 40 and older, with the highest number of cases (696) among people ages 20-39, followed by 604 cases among people ages 40-59. With 2,448 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 88.5%.
The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased since yesterday by 1.3% to 5.5%, meaning that 55 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 24.
Ontario is reporting 43 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 27 in long-term care homes. Hospitalizations have decreased by 38 from yesterday to 1,398, but this number excludes data from around 10% of hospitals so is likely under-reported. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has increased by 5 to 397, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has decreased by 28 to 283.
A total of 35,968 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 9,004 to 14,991. A total of 286,110 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 5,537 from yesterday, with 71,256 vaccinations completed (i.e., both doses administered), an increase of 8,375 from yesterday.
There will be no data to report for cases in schools in the greater Kawarthas region until January 26. There are 30 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 3 from January 22, with 21 cases among children and 9 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 24 new cases to report, including 15 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Northumberland, 1 in Haliburton, and 1 in Peterborough. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward.
There have been 3 new COVID-related deaths in Kawartha Lakes; no details have been provided by the health unit. There is 1 new COVID-related hospitalization in Haliburton. There are currently 16 patients with COVID-19 in Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
An additional 36 cases have been resolved, including 16 in Northumberland, 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Peterborough, 2 in Haliburton, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward. Outbreaks at Fenelon Court in Fenelon Falls, Maplewood long-term care home in Brighton, and Canadian Centre for Addictions in Port Hope have been declared resolved.
There are currently 159 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 13 from yesterday, including 68 in Kawartha Lakes, 42 in Peterborough, 26 in Northumberland, 18 in Hastings Prince Edward (10 in Quinte West, 7 in Belleville, and 1 in Prince Edward County), and 5 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 515 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (466 resolved with 7 deaths), 408 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (314 resolved with 39 deaths), 364 in Northumberland County (331 resolved with 6 deaths), 47 in Haliburton County (42 resolved with no deaths), and 365 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (342 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent three deaths were reported in Kawartha Lakes on January 25.
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: 515 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 42 (decrease of 6)
Close contacts: 72 (decrease of 5)
Deaths: 7 (no change)
Resolved: 466 (increase of 7)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 22 (increase of 1)*
Total tests completed: Over 41,150 (increase of 150)
Outbreaks: The Regency retirement home in Lakefield, Centennial Place long-term care home in Millbrook, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (no change)
*As of January 25, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 16 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, with fewer than 10 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive.
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 for January 24 and 25.
Confirmed positive: 818, including 408 in Kawartha Lakes, 363 in Northumberland, and 47 in Haliburton (increase of 23, including 15 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)*
Active cases: 99, including 68 in Kawartha Lakes, 26 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net decrease of 6)
Probable cases: 2 in Kawartha Lakes (decrease of 1, in Northumberland)
High-risk contacts: 152, including 74 in Kawartha Lakes, 52 in Northumberland, and 13 in Haliburton (net increase of 2)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 31, including 21 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Haliburton)***
Deaths (including among probable cases): 45, including 39 in Kawartha Lakes and 6 in Northumberland (increase of 3 in Kawartha Lakes)
Resolved: 687, including 314 in Kawartha Lakes, 331 in Northumberland, 42 in Haliburton (increase of 27, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 16 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton)
Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Tower of Port Hope, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg, Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth, Caressant Care retirement home in Lindsay, Caressant Care nursing home in Lindsay (decrease of 3)****
*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 an additional 13 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of January 25, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient hospitalized with COVID-19
***Outbreaks at Fenelon Court in Fenelon Falls, Maplewood long-term care home in Brighton, and Canadian Centre for Addictions in Port Hope have been declared resolved.
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: 365 (no change)
Active cases: 20 (decrease of 1)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 342 (increase of 2)
Tests completed: 42,632 (increase of 243)
Vaccines administered: 393 (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: Crown Ridge long-term care home in Quinte West (decrease of 1)*
*The outbreak at Hastings Manor Beech Villa in Belleville was declared over on January 23.
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 256,960 (increase of 1,958)
Resolved: 227,494 (increase of 2,448, 88.5% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 5.5% (increase of 1.3%)
Hospitalized: 1,398 (decrease of 38)*
Hospitalized and in ICU: 397 (increase of 5)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 283 (decrease of 28)
Deaths: 5,846 (increase of 43)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,427 (increase of 27)
Total tests completed: 9,344,959 (increase of 35,968)
Tests under investigation: 14,991 (decrease of 9,004)
Vaccination doses administered: 286,110 (increase of 5,537)
Vaccination completed (both doses): 71,256 (increase of 8,375)
*This number excludes data from around 10% of hospitals so is likely under-reported.
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
