Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 994 new cases, with the seven-day average of daily cases decreasing by 20 to 1,064.
There are 92 new cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, for a total of 644, and 4 new cases of the B.1.351 South Africa variant, for a total of 31.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 20 new cases to report and an additional 11 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 9 to 118. The first COVID-related death in Haliburton County has been reported.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (298) and Peel (171).
There are double-digit increases in York (64), Ottawa (49), Hamilton (40), Simcoe Muskoka (39), Lambton (39), Niagara (37), Halton (33), Thunder Bay (24), Durham (23), Waterloo (23), Sudbury (18), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (18), Windsor-Essex (16), Middlesex-London (12), and Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (10), with smaller increases in Eastern Ontario (9), Peterborough (9), Brant (9), Haldimand-Norfolk (8), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (7), Huron Perth (7), and Southwestern (6).
The remaining 10 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 (382) among people ages 20-39 followed by 277 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,072 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases remains unchanged at 94.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.3% from yesterday to 2.1%, meaning that 21 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 3.
Ontario is reporting 10 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 2 new deaths in a long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 15 new daily deaths over the past week, a decrease of 2 from yesterday).
Hospitalizations have decreased by 19 from yesterday to 649, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 7 from yesterday to 281, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 5 from yesterday to 183.
A total of 65,643 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 416 to 42,723.
A total of 784,828 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 30,409 from yesterday, with 268,118 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,408 from yesterday, representing 1.82% of Ontario’s population.
There are 101 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 59 from yesterday, including 77 student cases, 21 staff cases, and 3 cases among unidentified people. There are 22 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 3 from yesterday, with 11 cases among children and 11 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 20 new cases to report, including 15 in Peterborough, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Northumberland or Haliburton.
There are now 43 presumed cases of variants of concern in Peterborough. An outbreak was declared at Trent University’s Champlain College in Peterborough on March 4.
There has been a COVID-related death in Haliburton, the first in that county. This death appears to have been a case that was earlier reported as resolved.
An additional 11 cases have been resolved, including 5 in Northumberland, 2 in Peterborough, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 118 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 9 from yesterday, including 76 in Peterborough, 21 in Hastings Prince Edward (16 in Belleville, 3 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 1 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory), 11 in Kawartha Lakes, and 10 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 691 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (606 resolved with 9 deaths), 542 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (489 resolved with 55 deaths), 444 in Northumberland County (423 resolved with 11 deaths), 51 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with 1 death), and 425 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (398 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Haliburton on March 4.
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: 691 (increase of 15)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change)
Presumed variants of concern cases: 43 (increase of 16)
Active cases: 76 (increase of 13)
Close contacts: 252 (increase of 11)
Deaths: 9 (no change)
Resolved: 606 (increase of 2)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 25 (increase of 1)*
Total tests completed: Over 43,850 (increase of 100)
Outbreaks: Empress Gardens retirement home, Severn Court Student Residence, Trent Champlain College (increase of 1)**
Vaccine doses administered: 5,927 (increase of 4,791)
*As of March 4, 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).
**An outbreak was declared at Trent University’s Champlain College in Peterborough on March 4.
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: 1,037, including 542 in Kawartha Lakes, 444 in Northumberland, and 51 in Haliburton (increase of 4 in Kawartha Lakes)*
Cases with N501Y mutation: 14, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 12 in Northumberland (no change)**
Active cases: 21, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes and 10 in Northumberland (net decrease of 3)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 91, including 37 in Kawartha Lakes, 50 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (net increase of 9)***
Hospitalizations (total to date): 44, including 27 in Kawartha Lakes, 15 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (no change)****
Deaths (including among probable cases): 67, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Haliburton)*****
Resolved: 962, including 489 in Kawartha Lakes, 423 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland)*****
Tests completed: 146,264 (increase of 789)
Outbreaks: Regency 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.
**The N501Y mutation has been identified in variants of concern including the B.1.1.7 UK variant, the B.1.351 South Africa variant, and the P.1 Brazilian variant.
***This total includes an additional 2 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of March 4, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports no patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
*****This death appears to have been a case that was earlier reported as resolved, as the number of resolved cases in Haliburton has decreased by 1.
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: 425 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 21 (decrease of 1)
Deaths: 6 (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: 398 (increase of 2)
Tests completed: 66,296 (increase of 4)
Vaccines administered: 4,123 (increase of 396)
Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Central Hastings, unidentified workplace in Belleville (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 304,757 (increase of 994)
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 644 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 92); 31 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 4); 3 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change)
7-day average of daily new cases: 1,064 (decrease of 20)
Resolved: 287,424 (increase of 1,072, 94.3% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 2.1% (decrease of 0.3%)
Hospitalizations: 649 (decrease of 19)
Hospitalizations in ICU: 281 (increase of 7)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 183 (decrease of 5)
Deaths: 7,024 (increase of 10)
7-day average of daily new deaths: 15 (decrease of 2)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,871 (increase of 2)
Total tests completed: 11,229,191 (increase of 65,643)
Tests under investigation: 42,723 (decrease of 416)
Vaccination doses administered: 784,828 (increase of 30,409)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 268,118 (increase of 1,408), 1.82% of Ontario’s population (est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
