Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
With Ontario reporting 1,150 new cases today, including 37 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant for a total of 385, the provincial government announced the stay-at-home order is being extended for an additional two weeks in Toronto, Peel, and North Bay Parry Sound.
The province also announced York will move back into the COVID-19 response framework at the Red-Control level, and Lambton in southwestern Ontario will move from Orange-Restrict to Red-Control as a result of worsening public health trends in that region over the past week.
“These are difficult but necessary decisions, in order to protect against COVID-19 variants and maintain the progress we have all made together,” said Ontario health minister Christine Elliott. “Until vaccines are widely available, we continue to urge all Ontarians to follow public health advice and measures, and stay home, stay safe, and save lives.”
With today’s new cases, the seven-day average of daily cases in Ontario has increased by 10 to 1,026.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 15 new cases to report and 5 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 9 to 99. There are 2 new COVID-related deaths in Kawartha Lakes.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (376), Peel (264), and York (108).
There are double-digit increases in Ottawa (73), Hamilton (43), Durham (41), Waterloo (41), Halton (37), Simcoe Muskoka (23), Windsor-Essex (22), Niagara (17), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (17), Thunder Bay (15), and Eastern Ontario (12), with smaller increases in Lambton (7), Porcupine (6), Southwestern (6), and Haldimand-Norfolk (6).
The remaining 16 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 55% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (453) among people ages 20-39, followed by 326 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,255 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases remains unchanged at 94.0%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.1% from yesterday to 2.1%, meaning that 21 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on February 18.
Ontario is reporting 47 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 18 in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 27 new daily deaths over the past week, an increase of 4 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have increased by 69 from yesterday to 689, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 8 to 269 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 2 to 190.
A total of 65,372 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 4,562 to 39,970.
A total of 518,834 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 16,967 from yesterday, with 217,715 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 11,913 from yesterday, representing 1.48% of Ontario’s population.
There are 80 new cases in Ontario schools, an decrease of 17 from yesterday, including 64 student cases and 16 staff cases. There are 14 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 11 from yesterday, with 6 cases among children and 8 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 15 new cases to report, including 6 in Peterborough, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 2 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There are 2 new COVID-related deaths in Kawartha Lakes. There are 2 new hospitalizations in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland.
An additional 5 cases have been resolved, including 2 in Northumberland, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Peterborough, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. Outbreaks at Peterborough Retirement Residence and the Cobourg Police Station were declared resolved on February 19.
There are currently 99 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 9 from yesterday, including 40 in Peterborough, 25 in Kawartha Lakes, 20 in Northumberland, 13 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West, 4 in Belleville, 3 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 1 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Tyendinga Mohawk Territory, 1 in Central Hastings), and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 604 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (555 resolved with 9 deaths), 524 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (459 resolved with 53 deaths), 418 in Northumberland County (387 resolved with 11 deaths), 51 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with no deaths), and 392 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (374 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent two deaths were reported in Kawartha Lakes on February 19.
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: 604 (increase of 6)
Active cases: 40 (increase of 5)
Close contacts: 235 (decrease of 2)
Deaths: 9 (no change)
Resolved: 555 (increase of 1)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 24 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 42,650 (no change)
Outbreaks: Buckhorn Day Care and Nursery School (decrease of 1)**
Vaccine doses administered: 976 (as of February 19)
*As of February 19, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 17 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**The outbreak at Peterborough Retirement Residence was declared resolved on February 19.
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 Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 993, including 524 in Kawartha Lakes, 418 in Northumberland, and 51 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)*
Active cases: 46, including 25 in Kawartha Lakes, 20 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)
Probable cases: 3, including 3 in Northumberland (net decrease of 1)
High-risk contacts: 139, including 61 in Kawartha Lakes, 64 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (decrease of 52)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 44, including 27 in Kawartha Lakes, 15 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)***
Deaths (including among probable cases): 64, including 53 in Kawartha Lakes and 11 in Northumberland (increase of 2 in Kawartha Lakes)
Resolved: 896, including 459 in Kawartha Lakes, 387 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)
Tests completed: 137,819 (increase of 799)
Institutional outbreaks: Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope, Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Extendicare Cobourg long-term care home, Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Warkworth Place in Warkworth (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 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 February 19, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient is hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1).
***The outbreak at the Cobourg Police Station was declared resolved on February 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, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 392 (increase of 3)
Active cases: 13 (increase of 2)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 374 (increase of 1)
Tests completed: 57,148 (increase of 1)
Vaccines administered: 1,483 (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 290,771 (increase of 1,150)
7-day average of daily new cases: 1,026 (increase of 10)
Resolved: 273,401 (increase of 1,255, 94.0% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 2.1% (decrease of 0.1%)
Hospitalizations: 689 (increase of 69)
Hospitalizations in ICU: 269 (decrease of 8)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 190 (decrease of 2)
Deaths: 6,820 (increase of 47)
7-day average of daily new deaths: 23 (increase of 4)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,838 (increase of 18)
Total tests completed: 10,588,786 (increase of 65,372)
Tests under investigation: 39,970 (decrease of 4,562)
Vaccination doses administered: 518,834 (increase of 16,967)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 217,715 (increase of 11,913), 1.48% of Ontario’s population
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 385 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 37); 9 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (decrease of 1); 1 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
