Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
On the first day of the month-long stay-at-home order, Ontario is reporting 3,295 new cases — the highest daily increase since January 17 when 3,422 cases were reported. Nine public health units in Ontario are reporting triple-digit cases, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 105 to 3,093 — the first time it has exceeded 3,000 since January 18.
The number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19, in ICUs, and on ventilators continues to increase, with ICU admissions more than 100 higher than the peak of the second wave.
There are now 9,632 cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant in Ontario, an increase of 7,341 because of a change in the way the province is reporting cases of the UK variant.
“Genome sequencing is no longer required to confirm the specific variant,” said associate chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe during a media briefing on Thursday, explaining that genetic sequencing completed to date has determined 95% of specimens screening positive for the N501Y mutation have been found to be the B.1.1.7 UK variant.
“As a result, reporting of cases that are positive only for the N501Y mutation is now categorized under the lineage of B.1.1.7,” Dr Yaffe said. “This means we’ll see a significant increase in the total number of B.1.1.7 cases in the report starting today.”
There are also 3 more cases of the B.1.351 South Africa variant and 11 more cases of the 131 of P.1 Brazilian variant.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 54 new cases to report and an additional 41 cases resolved, with the number of active cases climbing by 22 to 371. There has been 1 new death in Peterborough. See below for detailed numbers from each regional health unit.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (933), Peel (649), York (386), Durham (165), Halton (156), Ottawa (160), Middlesex-London (125), Simcoe Muskoka (124), and Niagara (110).
There are double-digit increases today in Hamilton (83), Waterloo (64), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (43), Eastern Ontario (38), Windsor-Essex (38), Hastings Prince Edward (29), Brant (20), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (19), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (17), Lambton (17), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (16), Southwestern (15), Haldimand-Norfolk (15), Peterborough (14), Sudbury (13), and Grey Bruce (12), with smaller increases in Huron Perth (8) and Renfrew (7).
The remaining 7 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 1 health unit (Timiskaming) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 57% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,280) among people ages 20-39 followed by 953 cases among people ages 40-59 and 602 cases among people 19 and under.
With 2,576 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 90.5%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.7% to 6.0%, meaning that 60 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on April 7.
Ontario is reporting 19 new COVID-19 deaths today, with no new deaths in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 15 new daily deaths over the past week, a decrease of 1 from yesterday.
The number of hospitalizations increased yesterday by 20 to 1,417, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 21 to 525 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 20 to 331.
A total of 63,846 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 780 to 42,404.
A total of 2,834,784 doses of vaccine have now been administered, a record single day increase of 108,563, with 326,360 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,577.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.22% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.02% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 19.24% of the population, an increase of 0.74% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
There are 301 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 418 from yesterday, including 245 student cases and 56 staff cases. There are 152 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 47 from yesterday, including 89 cases among children and 63 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 54 new cases to report, including 22 in Northumberland, 17 in Hastings Prince Edward, 11 in Peterborough, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
Outbreaks at Swiss Chalet in Cobourg and Christian Horizons in Port Hope were declared on April 7.
There has been 1 new death in Peterborough (a resident of Empress Gardens retirement home) and 1 new hospitalization.
There are 41 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 18 in Peterborough, 14 in Hastings Prince Edward, 6 in Northumberland, and 3 in Kawartha Lakes.
An additional 31 cases have been resolved, including 12 in Hastings Prince Edward, 7 in Peterborough, 7 in Northumberland, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
There are currently 371 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 22 from yesterday, including 171 in Hastings Prince Edward (57 in Quinte West, 65 in Belleville, 8 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 3 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, 16 in Prince Edward County, 20 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings), 92 in Peterborough, 79 in Northumberland, 22 in Kawartha Lakes, and 7 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 960 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (856 resolved with 12 deaths), 609 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (545 resolved with 55 deaths), 583 in Northumberland County (493 resolved with 12 deaths), 76 in Haliburton County (68 resolved with 1 death), and 670 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (493 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on April 8.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 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: 960 (increase of 11)
Total variants of concern cases: 264 (increase of 18)
Active cases: 92 (increase of 3)
Close contacts: 257 (increase of 11)
Deaths: 12 (increase of 1)*
Resolved: 856 (increase of 7)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 32 (increase of 1)**
Total tests completed: Over 47,500 (increase of 150)
Outbreaks: Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #1 in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #2 in Peterborough, Champlain Annex at Trent University in Peterborough, Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School in Peterborough (no change)
Vaccine doses administered: 34,612 (increase of 4,179 as of April 8)
*A resident of Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough has passed away.
**As of April 8, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 12 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 1) and 33 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (increase of 6).
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: 1,268, including 609 in Kawartha Lakes, 583 in Northumberland, and 76 in Haliburton (increase of 26, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 22 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)*
Cases with N501Y mutation: 118, including 41 in Kawartha Lakes, 76 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 9, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes and 6 in Northumberland)**
Active cases: 107, including 22 in Kawartha Lakes, 79 in Northumberland, and 7 in Haliburton (net increase of 14)
Probable cases: 2 in Northumberland (no change)
High-risk contacts: 357, including 54 in Kawartha Lakes, 195 in Northumberland, and 16 in Haliburton (net increase of 39)***
Hospitalizations (total to date): 53, including 32 in Kawartha Lakes, 18 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: 1,106, including 545 in Kawartha Lakes, 493 in Northumberland, 68 in Haliburton (increase of 12, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)
Tests completed: 167,399 (increase of 826)
Vaccine doses administered: 30,408 (last updated April 6)
Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,989 (last updated April 6)
Outbreaks: St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg, Timber House Resort in Brighton, Swiss Chalet in Cobourg, Christian Horizons in Port Hope (increase of 2)*****
*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 76 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of April 8, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 1).
****Outbreaks at Swiss Chalet in Cobourg and Christian Horizons in Port Hope were declared on April 7.
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: 670 (increase of 17)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 92 (increase of 14)
Active cases: 171 (increase of 4)
Deaths: 6 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 2 (decrease of 1)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (decrease of 1)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 493 (increase of 12)
Tests completed: 115,292 (increase of 12)
Vaccine doses administered: 37,987 (increase of 1,310)
Number of people fully vaccinated: 3,199 (increase of 15)
Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Trenton, Unidentified setting in Belleville, Unidentified child care facility in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Quinte West, The Richmond Retirement Residence in Belleville, Tri-board Bus #499 (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 374,112 (increase of 3,295)
COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 9,632 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 7,341); 75 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 3); 131 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 11)*
VOC R(t): 1.23 (decrease of 0.01, last updated April 2)**
7-day average of daily new cases: 3,093 (increase of 105)
Positivity rate: 6.0% (decrease of 0.7%)
Resolved: 338,559 (increase of 2,576), 90.5% of all cases (decrease of 0.1%)
Hospitalizations: 1,417 (increase of 20)
Hospitalizations in ICU: 525 (increase of 21)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 331 (increase of 20)
Deaths: 7,494 (increase of 19)
7-day average of daily new deaths: 15 (decrease of 1)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,904 (no change)
Total tests completed: 12,969,132 (increase of 63,846)
Tests under investigation: 42,404 (increase of 780)
Vaccination doses administered: 2,834,784 (increase of 108,563), 19.24% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.74%)***
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 326,360 (increase of 1,577), 2.22% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.02%)***
*The government has changed the way it reports cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant. Previously they were reported only when genetic sequencing confirmed they were of the B.1.1.7 lineage. Since genetic sequencing completed to date has determined 95% of specimens screening positive for the N501Y mutation have been found to be the B.1.1.7 UK variant, specimens with the N501Y mutation are now reported as cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant.
**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 specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
***An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
