Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.

With Ontario set to begin step one of its reopening plan on Friday, the province is reporting 411 new cases today — the second straight day of increases under 500 and the lowest daily increase since September 20 when 425 cases were reported.

For the first time since the third wave began, no health units are reporting triple-digit increases and almost two-thirds of Ontario’s 34 health units are reporting 5 or fewer cases for the second day in a row. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 657 and the proportion of active cases has declined for the 51st straight day.

Hospitalizations and ICU patients have dropped, although these has been a small increase in patients on ventilators. Ontario is reporting 33 deaths, including 2 new deaths in long-term care homes for the third day in a row, but 11 of these deaths occurred in April and May and are being reported now.

With almost 10.5 million vaccine doses administered, including a record number of doses administered yesterday, over 70% of Ontario’s total population has received at least a single dose. Almost 9% of the population is now fully vaccinated, with a record number of second doses administered yesterday.

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 7 new cases (including 5 in Peterborough, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward) and an additional 14 cases resolved. The net number of active cases in the region has decreased by 5 to 71. Active cases have decreased in Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland and remain the same in Peterborough and Haliburton. With Hastings Prince Edward reporting its first new case since the end of May, it now has 1 active case again.

Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (97) and Peel (72), with smaller increases in Waterloo (35), York (26), Hamilton (25), Porcupine (21), Middlesex-London (21), Niagara (20), Durham (18), Windsor-Essex (16), Simcoe Muskoka (13), Halton (10), and Lambton (6).

The remaining 21 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 7 health units reporting only 1 case and 6 health units reporting no new cases at all.

Of today’s new cases, 61% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (150) among people ages 20-39, followed by 113 cases among people ages 40-59 and 102 cases among people 19 and under.

With 932 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to at 97.1% — the 51st straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.7% to 2.0%, meaning that 20 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on June 8.

Ontario is reporting 33 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 2 new deaths in long-term care homes for the third day in a row. This number includes 11 deaths that occurred in April and May that are now being recorded as part of a data review and cleaning initiative. Excluding these deaths, 22 deaths were reported yesterday and the seven-day average of daily deaths has increased by 1 to 18.

Hospitalizations have decreased by 50 from yesterday to 571, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 15 to 466 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 9 to 314.

A total of 30,456 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 975 to 15,135.

A total of 10,445,119 doses of vaccine have now been administered, a record increase of 177,506 from yesterday, and 1,282,676 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, a record increase of 108,346 from yesterday.

The number of fully vaccinated people represents 8.71% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.74% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 70.90% of the total population, an increase of 1.20% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 7 new cases to report, including 5 in Peterborough, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward — the first new case there since the end of May, which the health unit says is related to travel. There are no new cases in Northumberland or Haliburton.

There are 6 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 3 in Northumberland, 2 in Peterborough, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes.

There are 2 new COVID-related hospitalizations in Peterborough.

An additional 14 cases have been resolved, including 6 in Peterborough, 6 in Kawartha Lakes, and 2 in Northumberland

There are currently 71 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 5 since yesterday, including 31 in Kawartha Lakes, 28 in Peterborough, 9 in Northumberland, 2 in Haliburton, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward (in Quinte West).

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,535 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,486 resolved with 21 deaths), 1,059 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (984 resolved with 57 deaths), 931 in Northumberland County (905 resolved with 17 deaths), 121 in Haliburton County (118 resolved with 1 death), and 1,121 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,109 resolved with 11 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Kawartha Lakes on June 5.

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: 1,535 (increase of 6)*
Total variants of concern cases: 711 (increase of 2)
Active cases: 28 (no change)
Close contacts: 64 (decrease of 1)
Deaths: 21 (no change)
Resolved: 1,486 (increase of 6)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 72 (increase of 2)**
ICU admissions (total to date): 15 (no change)
Total tests completed: Over 53,100 (increase of 50)
Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 90,716 (increase of 11,566 as of June 3)
Number of residents who have received first dose: 81,390 (increase of 9,270 as of June 3)
Number of residents fully vaccinated: 9,388 (increase of 2,729 as of June 3)
Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace #11 in Peterborough, Riverview Manor long-term care home in Peterborough (no change)

*The health unit is reporting 5 new cases in the last 24 hours. The total case count has increased by 6 because 1 case has been added to a previous day.

*As of June 9, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 2 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1) and a total of 76 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).

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: 2,111, including 1,059 in Kawartha Lakes, 931 in Northumberland, and 121 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)*
Total variants of concern cases: 762, including 393 in Kawartha Lakes, 333 in Northumberland, and 36 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)
Active cases: 42, including 31 in Kawartha Lakes, 9 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (decrease of 6, including 4 in Haliburton and 2 in Northumberland)
Probable cases: 1 in Kawartha Lakes (decrease of 2 in Kawartha Lakes)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 77, including 43 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)**
Deaths (including among probable cases): 75, including 57 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Resolved: 2,007, including 984 in Kawartha Lakes, 905 in Northumberland, and 118 in Haliburton (increase of 8, including 6 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)
Tests completed: 197,310 (increase of 519)
Vaccine doses administered to residents: 112,750 (increase of 7,966 as of June 7)
Number of residents fully vaccinated: 14,676 (increase of 3,568 as of June 7)
Outbreaks: Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, LCBO 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.

**As of June 9, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient 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: 1,121 (increase of 1)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 489 (no change)
Active cases: 1 (increase of 1)
Deaths: 11 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 1 (no change)
Resolved: 1,109 (no change)
Tests completed: 147,887 (increase of 6)
Vaccine doses administered: 117,205 (increase of 2,583)
Number of people fully vaccinated: 15,275 (increase of 1,422)
Outbreaks: None (no change)

Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 537,487 (increase of 411)
COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 134,608 of B.1.1.7 Alpha variant (increase of 902); 1,125 of B.1.351 Beta variant (increase of 28); 4,073 of P.1 Gamma variant (increase of 64)
VOC R(t): 0.74 (decrease of 0.01 as of June 9)*
7-day average of daily new cases: 657 (decrease of 46)
Positivity rate: 2.0% (decrease of 0.7%)
Resolved: 521,743 (increase of 932), 97.1% of all cases (increase of 0.1%)
Hospitalizations: 571 (decrease of 50)
Hospitalizations in ICU: 466 (decrease of 15)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 314 (increase of 9)
Deaths: 8,920 (increase of 33)**
7-day average of daily new deaths: 18 (increase of 1)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,962 (increase of 2)
Total tests completed: 15,454,884 (increase of 30,456)
Tests under investigation: 15,135 (increase of 975)
Vaccination doses administered: 10,445,119 (increase of 177,506), 70.90% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 1.20%)***
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 1,282,676 (increase of 108,346), 8.71% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 0.74%)***

*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.

**This number includes 11 deaths that occurred in April and May that are now being recorded as part of a data review and cleaning initiative. Excluding these deaths, 22 deaths were reported yesterday.

***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.

It’s the 100-year anniversary of the Canadian discovery of insulin, and three members of a local family began a 263-kilometre trek from Peterborough to Ottawa on Wednesday (June 9) in the hopes of making the need for insulin a thing of the past.

Almost two years ago, Peterborough business owner Rob Cahill and his wife Marie-Noelle Denis found out their youngest daughter, Mariloup Cahill, has type 1 diabetes. Diagnosed at nine years old, she has since endured around 3,000 needles to receive her life-saving insulin.

So, with this year’s Sun Life Walk to Cure Diabetes for JDRF set to finish on June 13, Denis and her oldest daughter Laurence Denis-Bertrand — along with Laurence’s boyfriend David Patton — have set out to walk to Ottawa and raise funds for diabetes research along the way.

“For Mariloup’s sake, we wish for a day without the need for insulin or a full night’s sleep without the need to check her blood sugar level,” says Cahill, who manages Cahill’s clothing store in downtown Peterborough.

“Raising dollars for this cause can advance type 1 diabetes research, and improve the lives of the tens of thousands of Canadians living with this disease,” he adds.

Cahill’s will be donating up to $2,500 to match funds donated to support the Peterborough-to-Ottawa journey of the three walkers — known as “Team Ti-Loup”. You can donate to Team Ti-Loup at jdrf.akaraisin.com/ui/jdrfwalk21/t/e514a179321d4bbb8d80a91a61717ed4. As of the date of this story, they have raised almost $3,000 of their $10,000 goal.

Team Ti-Loup is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa on June 13, to coincide with the finish of the 2021 Sun Life Walk to Cure Diabetes for JDRF.

This year’s walk is especially important given that 2021 marks 100 years since Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin under the directorship of John Macleod at the University of Toronto, developing it for use as a medication in 1922. Banting and Macleod would receive a Nobel Prize for their work in 1923.

Prior to the discovery of insulin, the life expectancy of people with type 1 diabetes was cut short. With cells unable to use glucose as a source of energy, the liver breaks down fat into a fuel called ketones, eventually building up in the blood to toxic levels. The only effective treatment for diabetes at the time was a strict no-carbohydrate diet with as few as 450 calories per day — resulting in some people dying from starvation.

There’s no question that insulin — a pancreatic hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy — has saved countless lives.

But while insulin helps people with diabetes live long and healthy lives, it’s not a cure. People requiring insulin have to regularly monitor their blood sugar levels, be careful what they eat, inject insulin several times a day or more, and remain at risk of additional health complications.

This summer, officers with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will be rewarding children and youth across Ontario for acts of kindness and exhibiting positive behaviour.

Through a partnership with Circle K convenience stores, OPP officers will be handing out thousands of ‘positive tickets’ — coupons redeemable for a free small ‘Froster’ at a local Circle K.

The officers will be on the lookout for kids practising personal safety (such as by wearing a bicycle helmet), being kind to others and doing various good deeds, participating in community activities, demonstrating pride in their community (such as by picking up litter and trash), deterring crime, and observing school crossing rules.

They may also hand out the coupons to establish a rapport with kids in their patrol area.

The OPP stresses officers will not seek or record any identifying information when handing out the coupons, as the purpose of the program is to help police foster strong relationships with the youth they serve in their communities.

“This is a great initiative and allows officers the opportunity to interact with youth in a positive manner,” says Inspector Terry Ward, Dufferin OPP Detachment Commander. “These interactions with police can open dialogue with the youth and leave a good lasting impression.”

Right now in your community, there are numerous Indigenous-led organizations working towards social justice, most of which have been doing this important work for many years now. By donating to Indigenous-led organizations in your community, you can help keep their important work going.

One of these organizations is the Peterborough Native Learning Program (PNLP) which, for over 20 years, has been decolonizing approaches to education by offering integrated literacy and essential skills opportunities for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults, aged 19 and over, in the Peterborough-Nogojiwanong area.

“We use the Seven Grandfather Teachings as the foundation of all the work we do,” explains PNLP program assistant Wanda Prince of the organization’s pedagogical approach.

“Whether you’re Indigenous or not, some of the most powerful teachings we can learn in our lives are rooted in Indigenous traditions,” Prince says. “The medicine we’re teaching, the Seven Grandfather Teachings — humility, love, honesty, bravery, respect, wisdom and truth — serve as the foundation for everything we do at PNLP.”

PLNP offers learning courses and more at three locations, in Peterborough, Lakefield, and Curve Lake.

“We support our learners in every way we can,” says PNLP’s county instructor Barbara Mills.

“In addition to literacy and essential skills-building, we help address our learners’ barriers like food, childcare, or transportation,” Mills adds. “We can help with all those things and, if there’s something we can’t directly address, we work closely with our partner agencies and provide referrals to our learners so they can access any supports they need.”

Throughout the pandemic, PNLP has been going strong, doubling down on their efforts to promote digital literacy and remove technological barriers, ensuring no learner is left behind.

“One of our learners, Rebecca, came to us wanting to learn Ojibway,” Prince recalls. “She needed a laptop, and we found a way to provide her with one. We were able to address that barrier and she was over the moon.”

“Because of our support, Rebecca was really able to connect with her culture throughout the pandemic. She was able to go to virtual powwows, attend meetings with elders for teachings, and really embrace artmaking — she made some really beautiful pieces.”

With greater access to technology and the digital skills training from PNLP, Rebecca was able to navigate Zoom and other platforms to access cultural opportunities and supports throughout the pandemic.

“It’s been over a year now since I was given this generous gift and it has saved my sanity through these crazy times,” says Rebecca of her PNLP experience. “I learned how to make so many new crafts with all the local Indigenous organizations on a weekly basis. I have also earned seven certificates with Good Learning courses, and I just completed a Mental Health First Aid Training course.”

As we look towards pandemic recovery, PNLP staff, volunteers, and learners are eager to return to face-to-face programming. However, the organization is currently in desperate need of an accessible washroom at their Peterborough Square location.

“The accessible washroom is going to be a huge deal once we can go back to physical in-person learning,” says Mills. “Right now, we can’t even go back because the mall’s bathrooms aren’t open. So we can’t go back to our office because there’s nothing there for us to safely use the washrooms.”

“So many of our learners are either elderly or living with disabilities, and we want to provide them with a barrier-free learning environment,” Prince adds. “This is why we’ve entered Canada Helps’ Great Canadian Giving Challenge for National Indigenous History Month. We’re really hoping to be able to raise the funds we need to build an accessible washroom at our office.”

For the month of June, every dollar donated to PNLP at canadahelps.org/en/gcgc/55579 increases the organization’s chances of winning $20,000.

Funding the work that is already being done by Indigenous-led organizations is an immediate and effective way to show your support for Inuit, Métis, and First Nations peoples, especially during during National Indigenous History Month.

“We’ve been here for 20 years, and people still don’t know about us,” says Prince. “Now’s the time for our community to recognize us and to value and support the work we do.”

For more information about the Peterborough Native Learning Program, visit www.pnlp.org.

Environment Canada has just issued a special weather statement for all of the Kawarthas for Tuesday afternoon and early evening (June 8).

Isolated thunderstorms moving slowly across the region this afternoon will contain brief very heavy downpours. Local rainfall amounts of 20 to 40 mm in an hour or less are possible along with gusts to 70 km/h.

Sudden very low visibility and ponding of water on poorly drained areas of highways from the downpours may result in difficult driving conditions.

The showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected to end this evening.

The special weather statement is in effect for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, and Hastings County.

Peterborough’s medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra has been recognized for her significant contributions to public health.

The Association of Local Public Health Agencies, a not-for-profit organization that provides leadership to the boards of health and public health units in Ontario, awarded Dr. Salvaterra the
2021 Distinguished Service Award during its virtual annual general meeting on Tuesday (June 8).

“Dr. Salvaterra has been an incredible leader during the COVID-19 pandemic, whose tireless service ensured residents were protected and well-informed throughout this challenging time,” said Andy Mitchell, Selwyn Township mayor and chair of the board of health for the city and county of Peterborough, in a media release.

“But what stands out to me is her devotion to our community over the past 13 years, and her ability to advance important public health priorities such as a provincial opioid response, reducing poverty, improving health equity, and building stronger relationships with local Indigenous communities,” Mitchell added. “I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.”

Recipients of the award “have demonstrated exceptional qualities of leadership in his/her own milieu, achieved tangible results through lengthy service and/or distinctive acts, and displayed exemplary devotion to public health at the provincial level” according to the Association of Local Public Health Agencies.

Dr. Salvaterra is one of three recipients of the award in 2021. In 2020, Dr. Lynn Noseworthy, former medical officer of health for the neighbouring Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit, also received the award.

In February, Dr. Salvaterra announced she would be retiring from her position at Peterborough Public Health later in 2021.

This is not the first award for Dr. Salvaterra. In November 2013, the Ontario College of Family Physicians bestowed an Award of Excellence to Dr. Salvaterra in recognition of her outstanding service.