Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 1,074 new cases — the lowest daily increase since March 5 when 990 cases were reported. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased by 16 to 1,334.
Today’s new cases include 25 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, for a total of 1,131, and 2 more cases of the B.1.351 South Africa variant, for a total of 46. The R(t) value for variants of concern — the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population — has decreased by 0.03 to 1.38.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 13 new cases to report and an additional 16 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 2 to 97. See below for details for each health unit in the region.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (313), Peel (199), and York (101).
There are double-digit increases in Ottawa (66), Hamilton (66), Windsor-Essex (35), Lambton (31), Waterloo (31), Thunder Bay (29), Durham (27), Halton (27), Brant (21), Niagara (21), Middlesex-London (16), Simcoe Muskoka (15), Southwestern (12), and Eastern Ontario (10), with smaller increases in Sudbury (9), Chatham-Kent (9), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (7), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (7), and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (7).
The remaining 12 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 4 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 59% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (417) among people ages 20-39 followed by 294 cases among people ages 40-59 and 214 cases among people 19 and younger.
With 1,085 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to 93.9%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.7% from yesterday to 4.5%, meaning that 45 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 15.
Ontario is reporting 11 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 1 in a long-term care home. Ontario has averaged 13 new daily deaths over the past week, an increase of 1 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have increased by 62 from yesterday to 761, the highest number of hospitalizations since February 13 when 786 were reported. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has decreased by 6 from yesterday to 292, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 7 to 194.
A total of 28,526 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 16,494 to 27,448.
A total of 1,243,132 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 51,579 from yesterday, with 288,918 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,635 from yesterday, representing 1.96% of Ontario’s population.
There are 367 new cases in Ontario schools, an increase of 257 from yesterday, including 301 student cases and 60 staff cases. There are 48 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 16 from yesterday, with 31 cases among children and 17 cases among staff. Note: cases reported on Tuesdays include the total number of cases reported from Friday afternoon to Monday afternoon.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 13 new cases to report, including 10 in Peterborough and 3 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward for the third day in a row, and no new cases in Kawartha Lakes or Haliburton.
There has been 1 new COVID-related death. A 30-year-old student hospitalized in Toronto as a result of the outbreak at Severn Court Student Residence in Peterborough passed away on March 15.
An outbreak at an unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough was declared on March 16. An outbreak at St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in Cobourg was declared on March 14.
There are 9 new regional cases of presumed variants of concern, including 5 in Peterborough, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton.
An additional 16 cases have been resolved, including 8 in Peterborough, 4 in Hastings Prince Edward, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes.
There are currently 97 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 2 from yesterday, including 56 in Peterborough, 17 in Northumberland, 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Hastings Prince Edward (2 in Quinte West, 2 in Belleville, 2 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and 1 in North Hastings), and 7 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 778 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (712 resolved with 10 deaths), 558 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (507 resolved with 55 deaths), 471 in Northumberland County (442 resolved with 12 deaths), 58 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with 1 death), and 439 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (425 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on March 16.
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: 778 (increase of 10)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change)
Presumed variants of concern cases: 126 (increase of 5)
Active cases: 56 (increase of 1)
Close contacts: 144 (increase of 12)
Deaths: 10 (increase of 1)*
Resolved: 712 (increase of 8)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 27 (no change)**
Total tests completed: Over 45,100 (increase of 50)
Outbreaks: Severn Court Student Residence, Trent Champlain College residence, unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough (increase of 1)**
Vaccine doses administered: 10,320 (no change, last updated March 11)
*A 30-year-old student hospitalized as a result of the outbreak at Severn Court Student Residence passed away on March 15.
**As of March 16, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 19 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**An outbreak at an unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough was declared on March 16.
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: 1,087, including 558 in Kawartha Lakes, 471 in Northumberland, and 58 in Haliburton (increase of 3 in Northumberland)*
Cases with N501Y mutation: 32, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 26 in Northumberland, 1 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 3 in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton)**
Active cases: 33, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 7 in Haliburton (net decrease of 1)
Probable cases: 1 in Kawartha Lakes (no change)
High-risk contacts: 260, including 146 in Kawartha Lakes, 72 in Northumberland, and 10 in Haliburton (net increase of 26)***
Hospitalizations (total to date): 49, including 29 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)****
Deaths (including among probable cases): 68, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Resolved: 999, including 507 in Kawartha Lakes, 442 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)
Tests completed: 153,984 (increase of 1,101)
Outbreaks: CrossFit Lindsay, Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden, St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in Cobourg (increase of 1)*****
*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 32 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of March 16, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
*****An outbreak at St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in Cobourg was declared on March 14.
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: 439 (no change)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 6 (no change)
Active cases: 8 (decrease of 4)
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: 425 (increase of 4)
Tests completed: 75,720 (increase of 20)
Vaccine doses administered: 13,207 (increase of 699)
Number of people fully vaccinated: 1,345
Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Belleville (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 320,448 (increase of 1,074)
COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 1,131 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 25); 46 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 2); 34 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change)
VOC R(t): 1.38 (decrease of 0.03, as of March 12)*
7-day average of daily new cases: 1,334 (decrease of 16)
Resolved: 300,769 (increase of 1,085), 93.9% of all cases (increase of 0.1%)
Positivity rate: 4.5% (increase of 0.7%)
Hospitalizations: 761 (increase of 62)
Hospitalizations in ICU: 292 (decrease of 6)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 194 (increase of 7)
Deaths: 7,173 (increase of 11)
7-day average of daily new deaths: 13 (increase of 1)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,882 (increase of 1)
Total tests completed: 11,817,610 (increase of 28,526)
Tests under investigation: 27,448 (increase of 16,494)
Vaccination doses administered: 1,243,132 (increase of 51,579)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 288,918 (increase of 1,635), 1.96% of Ontario’s population (est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)
*R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specifc time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
