Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
After three days of daily cases under 1,000, today Ontario is reporting a spike of 1,250 new cases, with the seven-day average of daily cases decreasing by 1 to 1,063.
Ontario is also reporting a spike of 155 new cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, for a total of 799, but is reporting no increase in other variants of concern.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report and an additional 6 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 8 to 126.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (337), Peel (167), and York (129).
There are double-digit increases in Hamilton (74), Thunder Bay (71), Ottawa (63), Durham (55), Halton (47), Waterloo (47), Simcoe Muskoka (35), Middlesex-London (26), Niagara (26), Lambton (23), Windsor-Essex (23), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (21), Sudbury (18), Peterborough (15), Eastern Ontario (11), and Haldimand-Norfolk (10), with smaller increases in Southwestern (9), Brant (9), Northwestern (8), and Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (7).
The remaining 11 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 1 health unit (North Bay Parry Sound) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 55% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (465) among people ages 20-39 followed by 364 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,159 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases remains unchanged at 94.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.2% from yesterday to 2.3%, meaning that 23 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 4.
Ontario is reporting 22 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 (no change from yesterday).
Hospitalizations have decreased by 6 from yesterday to 643, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 1 from yesterday to 280, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators remaining unchanged at 183.
A total of 64,748 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 8,686 to 34,037.
A total of 820,714 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 35,886 from yesterday, with 269,063 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 945 from yesterday, representing 1.83% of Ontario’s population.
There are 96 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 5 from yesterday, including 82 student cases, 13 staff cases, and 1 case among an unidentified person. There are 24 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 2 from yesterday, with 16 cases among children and 8 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report, including 9 in Peterborough and 3 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward, Kawartha Lakes, or Haliburton.
There are now 51 presumed cases of variants of concern in Peterborough. An outbreak was declared at Regency retirement home in Lakefield on March 5.
There are 2 new hospitalizations in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton.
An additional 6 cases have been resolved, including 3 in Peterborough and 3 in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 126 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 8 from yesterday, including 82 in Peterborough, 18 in Hastings Prince Edward (14 in Belleville, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 1 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory), 13 in Kawartha Lakes, and 13 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 700 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (609 resolved with 9 deaths), 544 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (489 resolved with 55 deaths), 447 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 (401 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: 700 (increase of 9)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change)
Presumed variants of concern cases: 51 (increase of 8)
Active cases: 82 (increase of 7)
Close contacts: 258 (increase of 6)
Deaths: 9 (no change)
Resolved: 609 (increase of 3)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 25 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 44,000 (increase of 150)
Outbreaks: Empress Gardens retirement home, Severn Court Student Residence, Trent Champlain College residence, Regency retirement home in Lakefield (increase of 1)**
Vaccine doses administered: 5,927 (increase of 4,791)
*As of March 5, 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 Regency retirement home in Lakefield on March 5.
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: 1,042, including 544 in Kawartha Lakes, 447 in Northumberland, and 51 in Haliburton (increase of 3 in Northumberland)*
Cases with N501Y mutation: 14, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 12 in Northumberland (no change)**
Active cases: 26, including 13 in Kawartha Lakes and 13 in Northumberland (increase of 5, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 93, including 38 in Kawartha Lakes, 50 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (net increase of 2)***
Hospitalizations (total to date): 47, including 27 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 2 in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton)****
Deaths (including among probable cases): 67, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Resolved: 962, including 489 in Kawartha Lakes, 423 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (no change)
Tests completed: 147,092 (increase of 828)
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 5, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports no patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
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 (no change)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 4
Active cases: 18 (decrease of 3)
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: 401 (increase of 3)
Tests completed: 66,299 (increase of 3)
Vaccines administered: 4,783 (increase of 660)
Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Central Hastings, unidentified workplace in Belleville (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 306,007 (increase of 1,250)
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 799 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 155); 31 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (no change); 3 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change)
7-day average of daily new cases: 1,063 (decrease of 1)
Resolved: 288,583 (increase of 1,159), 94.3% of all cases
Positivity rate: 2.3% (decrease of 0.2%)
Hospitalizations: 643 (decrease of 6)
Hospitalizations in ICU: 280 (decrease of 1)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 183 (no change)
Deaths: 7,046 (increase of 22)
7-day average of daily new deaths: 15 (no change)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,873 (increase of 2)
Total tests completed: 11,293,939 (increase of 64,748)
Tests under investigation: 34,037 (decrease of 8,686)
Vaccination doses administered: 820,714 (increase of 35,886)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 269,063 (increase of 945), 1.83% of Ontario’s population (est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
