Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,969 new cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases across the province increasing today by 2 to 1,889. Today’s total case count includes potentially over-reported cases from Toronto Public Health as that health unit migrates to Ontario’s Case and Contact Management system.
The province is reporting 11 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, as well as the first case in Ontario of the B.1.351 South Africa variant, which has been detected in a resident of Peel Region — although it remains a mystery how the resident contracted the new strain.
“This case has no history of travel and no known contact with a person who has travelled,” said Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, at a media briefing at Queen’s Park on Monday (February 1), adding that Peel Public Health is continuing to investigate the case.
Dr. Williams says the South Africa variant appears to have a “higher viral load”, meaning it is more transmissible, but that it’s still unknown whether the variant causes more severe illness.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 25 new cases to report — the majority of them in Kawartha Lakes — and 32 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 9 to 103. There has been 1 new COVID-19 death in Northumberland.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (886), Peel (330), and York (128).
There are double-digit increases in Durham (90), Windsor-Essex (72), Niagara (61), Waterloo (60), Halton (55), Middlesex-London (47), Hamilton (39), Simcoe Muskoka (36), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (36), Ottawa (25), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (19), Chatham-Kent (15), Southwestern (15), and Eastern Ontario (14), with smaller increases in Lambton (9) and Thunder Bay (7).
The remaining 15 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 7 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 50% are among people 40 and older, with the highest number of cases (695) among people ages 20-39, followed by 612 cases among people ages 40-59 and 280 cases among people 19 and younger.
With 2,132 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 90.7%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 1.5% to 5.2%, meaning that 52 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 31.
Ontario is reporting 36 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 19 in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 54 new daily deaths over the past week.
Hospitalizations have decreased by 1 from yesterday to 1,158, but this number may be under-reported as more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has decreased by 2 to 354, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 8 to 260.
A total of 30,359 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 3,965 to 11,651.
A total of 341,900 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 2,256 from yesterday, with 70,293 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,444 from yesterday.
There are 7 new cases in Ontario schools, an increase of 6 from January 29, including 5 student cases, 1 staff case, and 1 case among an unidentified person. There are 18 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 7 from January 29, with 14 cases among children and 4 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 25 new cases to report, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, 2 in Haliburton, 1 in Peterborough, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward.
There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Northumberland.
There is 1 new student case to report at Leslie Frost Public School in Lindsay.
New outbreaks were declared at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay on January 29, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope on January 30, and Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden on January 31.
A total of 32 cases have been resolved, including 16 in Peterborough, 13 in Kawartha Lakes, and 3 in Northumberland.
There are currently 103 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 9 from yesterday, including 53 in Kawartha Lakes, 33 in Peterborough, 11 in Northumberland, 4 in Haliburton, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West and 1 in Belleville).
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 545 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (504 resolved with 8 deaths), 452 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (371 resolved with 41 deaths), 370 in Northumberland County (350 resolved with 9 deaths), 50 in Haliburton County (46 resolved with no deaths), and 367 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (360 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on February 1.
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. These numbers include January 31 and February 1.
Confirmed positive: 545 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 33 (decrease of 15)
Close contacts: 63 (decrease of 12)
Deaths: 8 (no change)
Resolved: 504 (increase of 16)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 23 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 41,600 (increase of 100)
Outbreaks: The Regency retirement home in Lakefield, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Peterborough Retirement Residence (no change)
*As of February 1, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 7 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (a decrease of 6) and 12 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
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 include January 31 and February 1.
Confirmed positive: 872, including 452 in Kawartha Lakes, 370 in Northumberland, and 50 in Haliburton (increase of 23, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton)*
Active cases: 68, including 53 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton (net increase of 5)
Probable cases: 3 in Kawartha Lakes (decrease of 3, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)
High-risk contacts: 124, including 68 in Kawartha Lakes, 34 in Northumberland, and 14 in Haliburton (net decrease of 6)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 33, including 23 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (no change)***
Deaths (including among probable cases): 50, including 41 in Kawartha Lakes and 9 in Northumberland (increase of 1 in Northumberland)
Resolved: 767, including 371 in Kawartha Lakes, 350 in Northumberland, 46 in Haliburton (increase of 16, including 13 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg, Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth, Caressant Care Mary Street retirement home in Lindsay, Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope, Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden (increase 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 8 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of February 1, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
****Outbreaks were declared at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay on January 29, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope on January 30, and Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden on January 31.
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: 367 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 2 (increase 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: 360 (increase of 1)
Tests completed: 46,611 (increase of 99)
Vaccines administered: 1,000 (increase of 277)
Institutional outbreaks: Trent Valley Lodge long-term care home in Trenton (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 270,180 (increase of 1,969)*
7-day average of new cases: 1,889 (increase of 2)
Resolved: 244,939 (increase of 2,132, 90.7% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 5.2% (increase of 1.5%)
Hospitalized: 1,158 (decrease of 1)**
Hospitalized and in ICU: 354 (decrease of 2)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 260 (increase of 8)
Deaths: 6,224 (increase of 36)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,614 (increase of 19)
Total tests completed: 9,703,876 (increase of 30,359)
Tests under investigation: 11,651 (decrease of 3,965)
Vaccination doses administered: 341,900 (increase of 2,256)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 70,293 (increase of 1,444)
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 69 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 11)
*This total includes potentially over-reported cases from Toronto Public Health as that health unit migrates to Ontario’s Case and Contact Management system.
**This total may be under-reported as more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report.
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
