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Ontario reports 3,295 COVID-19 cases, including 54 in greater Kawarthas region

By kawarthaNOW -
Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario's associate chief medical officer of health, explains how the province has changed its reporting of variants of concern during a media briefing at Queen's Park on April 8, 2021. (CPAC screenshot)

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.

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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.

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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).

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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)

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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.

COVID-19 cases in Ontario from March 8 - April 7, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from March 8 – April 7, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from March 8 - April 7, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from March 8 – April 7, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from March 8 - April 7, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from March 8 – April 7, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from March 8 - April 7, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from March 8 – April 7, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from March 8 - April 7, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from March 8 – April 7, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)

 

For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

Vaccine shortage predicted for Peterborough this month threatens to stall good progress

By Paul Rellinger -
The first shipment of 5,850 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrive at Peterborough Regional Health Centre on February 23, 2021. (Supplied photo)

While more than 21 per cent of Peterborough region residents have now received at least their first dose of vaccine — well above the provincial average of 14 per cent — a deficit of close to 11,000 vaccine doses is projected for April.

“We know how much vaccine we’re going to get (in April), we know how many appointments are booked for April, and we know how many people in total that we still have to vaccinate,” explained medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra during her weekly virtual media briefing at Peterborough Public Health on Thursday (April 8th). “That’s how we’re getting that figure.”

Dr. Salvaterra’s confirmation of a vaccine shortfall echoed a similar concern jointly expressed by Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien and Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones. In a statement issued Thursday morning, they called on the province to increase the supply of vaccines coming to the region.

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Related story

Peterborough’s political leaders urge province to increase vaccine supply to region

“This stay-at-home order is a critical time for us to ensure we have the vaccine supply we need to meet the month end target of having everyone over 60 vaccinated,” they wrote, citing the high number of “older persons” in this region compared to the Ontario average and variants of concern now associated with 80 per cent of local new positive cases. “Right now we don’t have enough allocated for our area to meet this target.”

While lauding the success of the local vaccination effort that has seen 34,612 residents receive at least their first dose (an increase of 4,179 over the past week), Dr. Salvaterra acknowledged “the demand for vaccine is outstripping our supply.”

“When we do the math we could easily use another 11,000 doses of vaccine this month,” she said. “If we had that we could potentially finish everyone who is 60 years old and over by the end of the month.”

“We’ll actually dry up several times before the end of the month. We’re trying to get needles into arms and empty the freezers. There are several times this month that we’ll actually go down to zero and wait for the next delivery to arrive. We’re getting everything we can out.”

“We do have an older demographic and we have started second doses in both First Nation communities. That again has been a drain on our vaccine allocation. It’s all good but it means that we have more people who are currently eligible waiting for vaccine.”

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Meanwhile, three local pharmacies — Costco Pharmacy, 485 The Parkway; High Street Guardian Pharmacy, 815 High Street, Unit 9; and Walmart Pharmacy, 1002 Chemong Road — continue to book vaccination appointments for those aged 55 and up who wish to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine. Dr. Salvaterra said a fourth pharmacy will be added to the mix soon.

With Ontario now in a third state of emergency with a four-week stay-at-home order in place, local COVID-19 infection numbers show little sign of levelling off. As of Thursday morning, there were 89 local active cases reported with 246 close contacts of positive cases being monitored.

To date in April, 74 new cases have been reported, putting April on pace to eclipse the highest local monthly total of 225 new cases reported in March. As for the more transmissible and potentially deadly COVID variants of concern, the Peterborough region total now stands at 252 cases.

And this week saw COVID claim the life of an Empress Gardens resident — the 11th local COVID death reported in the region since the pandemic began. An outbreak at Empress Gardens remains declared, along with outbreaks still ongoing at Trent University’s Champlain Annex, Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School, and at two unidentified workplaces.

Also commenting during Thursday’s media briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien, Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, and Peterborough board of health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell.

While agreeing Peterborough needs to push harder for its fair share of vaccine, MPP Smith noted that 89.2 per cent of local residents aged 80 and over have received at least their first shot — tops in the province.

Vote Friday and Saturday to make Bobcaygeon the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada

By kawarthaNOW -
A local bakery made these cookies in support of Bobcaygeon's bid to be voted the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on April 9 and continues until 5 p.m. on April 10. (Photo supplied by City of Kawartha Lakes)
Update – April 10

Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick was crowned Kraft Hockeyville Canada 2021.

As one of the three second-place winners, Bobcaygeon will receive $25,000 in arena upgrades and $10,000 in brand new hockey equipment from the NHL Players’ Association Goals & Dreams Fund for deserving youth in the community.

If you want to see Bobcaygeon voted the winner of the 15th annual Kraft Hockeyville contest, register now at www.krafthockeyville.ca and start voting at 9 a.m. on Friday (April 9).

Voting continues until 5 p.m. on Saturday, with the community receiving the most votes declared the winner. Once you create an account, you can vote as many times as you like.

Bobcaygeon is one of four finalists, competing for votes against Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick, Lumsden in Saskatchewan, and Saint Adolphe in Manitoba.

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If Bobcaygeon wins, the community will receive $250,000 to upgrade Bobcaygeon-Verulam Community Centre and the chance to host an NHL pre-season hockey game there.

“Bobcaygeon is passionate about hockey and our local arena brings us together as fans, friends, family and ultimately as a community,” says Kathleen Seymour-Fagan, City of Kawartha Lakes councillor for Ward 2 and owner of Kawartha Coffee Company in Bobcaygeon.

“To keep the game alive in our community, the arena needs accessibility upgrades to ensure that all players, regardless of age, gender or ability, are able to access the facility,” Seymour-Fagan says, explaining how Bobcaygeon would use the $250,000 for the arena. “Winning Kraft Hockeyville 2021 is a shot at opening the doors to new generations of hockey players and fans.”

Bobcaygeon is competing against three other communities to be voted the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada. If Bobcaygeon wins, the community will use the $250,000 to upgrade accessibility of the Bobcaygeon-Verulam Community Centre among other things. (Photo supplied by City of Kawartha Lakes)
Bobcaygeon is competing against three other communities to be voted the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada. If Bobcaygeon wins, the community will use the $250,000 to upgrade accessibility of the Bobcaygeon-Verulam Community Centre among other things. (Photo supplied by City of Kawartha Lakes)

The three second-place communities will each receive $25,000 for arena upgrades, along with $10,000 in brand new hockey equipment from the National Hockey League Players’ Association’s Goals & Dreams Fund for deserving youth in the community.

Bobcaygeon’s hockey roots go back to when the village was incorporated in 1876. Since then, many hockey players from Bobcaygeon have gone on to play with the Peterborough Petes and other OHL teams as well as the NHL, including the likes of Rollie Kimble, Geoff Ingram, Paul Grills, Joe Junkin, Bill Stewart, and Brady Austin.

The late NHL legend Allan Stanley, who won four Stanley Cups while playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981, settled in Bobcaygeon with his wife after retiring and operated the Bee Hive Hockey School Complex for more than 20 years.

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Winning Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada would be a big morale boost for Bobcaygeon, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.

A COVID-19 outbreak at Pinecrest Nursing Home at the very beginning of the pandemic, the largest outbreak in Ontario at the time, would eventually claim the lives of 28 residents of the home. The shutdowns and restrictions during the pandemic have also had a huge impact on Bobcaygeon businesses, which rely on summer tourism to sustain them through the winter.

To get ready to cast your votes for Bobcaygeon, register now at www.krafthockeyville.ca. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on Friday and closes at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

VIDEO: Why Bobcaygeon should be Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada

Green Economy Peterborough launches on Earth Day to help local small businesses become more sustainable

By GreenUP -
Scott Murison, co-owner of Wild Rock Outfitters in downtown Peterborough and a founding member of Green Economy Peterborough, says being part of the network means local businesses can share ideas, learn from others, and set an example that others can follow. Green Economy Peterborough officially launches on Earth Day (April 22) with a virtual event featuring local business leaders and a presentation by a sustainability expert. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)

Organizations across Peterborough, Canada, and the world are recognizing that growth is neither profitable nor sustainable if it fails to include a plan for climate action.

Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Natalie Stephenson, Hub Coordinator of Green Economy Peterborough, a project of GreenUP.

“Climate change and the transition to low-carbon growth will have profound impacts on virtually every sector of the economy in the decades ahead,” said Tiff Macklem, governor of the Bank of Canada, at the Public Policy Forum in Ottawa last November. “We need to position Canada to seize the climate-smart opportunities that consumers, workers, and investors are looking for.”

More Canadian organizations, including those in the greater Peterborough area, are motivated by both the threats and the opportunities brought by climate change. Businesses are beginning to focus on climate solutions and recognize the benefits of these efforts.

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“I think the local business community is a lot more aware of not only the micro reasons to consider the climate, but also that it’s good financially for them,” says Terry Guiel, executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA). “They really see it as a worthwhile endeavour.”

The local business community is indeed showing strong interest in climate action. GreenUP conducted market research interviews with local business leaders as part of the development of the new Green Economy Peterborough hub. Results from this market research confirm that businesses have a strong appetite for support to help them make reductions in emissions, water, and waste.

While large corporations have been pushing forward to develop strategies that both protect the environment and leverage opportunities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), constituting 98 per cent of all businesses in Canada, have been left behind. These SMEs require different supports to become more efficient and environmentally sustainable — including more information, resources, staff capacity, and financial options.

Sparo Lindsay, owner of Union Studio in downtown Peterborough and a founding member of Green Economy Peterborough, holds a bag of metal foils that have been collected and cleaned for recycling after being used for hair colouring. She believes businesses in the beauty industry have a responsibility to the environment as they produce a lot of waste. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)
Sparo Lindsay, owner of Union Studio in downtown Peterborough and a founding member of Green Economy Peterborough, holds a bag of metal foils that have been collected and cleaned for recycling after being used for hair colouring. She believes businesses in the beauty industry have a responsibility to the environment as they produce a lot of waste. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)

Enter Green Economy Peterborough, which will work with local SMEs to reap the benefits of becoming more sustainable, including improved efficiency and cost savings, an expanded and enhanced relationship with customers and clients, and a greater connection to their community and environment.

“As a business owner, I feel like (the environment) is even more our responsibility because we are providing services for a lot of people and creating, in the beauty industry, a lot of garbage, a lot of waste,” says Sparo Lindsay, owner of Union Studio and a founding member of Green Economy Peterborough.

“It’s important for me to compensate for that waste by managing it appropriately and reducing our overall carbon footprint,” Lindsay adds. “If we wait around for somebody else, or an organization or government to take care of things or take action, it’s not going to happen.”

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When a business becomes a Green Economy Peterborough member, they receive one-to-one coaching, training, and measurement and tracking tools to achieve tangible reduction targets. Their activities and successes are celebrated and promoted publicly by the hub. Upon joining, members also become a part a vibrant local network that shares knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm.

“Being part of a local network is an important part for our business, so that we can share ideas, learn from others, and set an example that others can follow,” says Scott Murison, co-owner of Wild Rock Outfitters and a founding member of Green Economy Peterborough. “It’s important to be connected to the local community.”

Green Economy Peterborough’s official launch will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. p.m. on Earth Day (Thursday, April 22nd) and will feature local business leaders speaking on the connection between sustainability and a thriving local economy. The virtual celebration offers an exciting opportunity to connect with business peers committed to building their competitive advantage through climate action.

Green Economy Peterborough, a project of GreenUP, launches on Earth Day (April 22) with an online event that includes a presentation by Bob Willard of Sustainability Advantage, a leading expert and author on the business case for organizational sustainability. (Photo courtesy of Bob Willard)
Green Economy Peterborough, a project of GreenUP, launches on Earth Day (April 22) with an online event that includes a presentation by Bob Willard of Sustainability Advantage, a leading expert and author on the business case for organizational sustainability. (Photo courtesy of Bob Willard)

A highlight of the launch festivities will be a presentation by Bob Willard of Sustainability Advantage, a leading expert and author on the business case for organizational sustainability. Joining us from the Durham area, he is excited to see a business network developing in this region.

“Peterborough is well-positioned to be a leading resilient, sustainable community in Canada,” observes Willard. “Community engagement is key, including the business and Indigenous communities. Peterborough is doing this and working with Green Economy Canada experts to build on that base of support. It’s off to a great start.”

Willard applies business and leadership experience from his 34-year career at IBM Canada to engage the business community in proactively avoiding risks and capturing opportunities by using smart environmental, social, and governance practices.

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“Businesses are discovering that paying attention to sustainability is not only good for the environment and the community,” Willard says. “Climate action is also good for business and the local economy.”

The Green Economy Peterborough team is working with founding members from across the region’s economic sectors. More members are welcome, and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development has offered a number of subsidies to assist early adopters through 2021.

The network is supported by an advisory committee made up of business and community leaders, including Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, the Peterborough DBIA, Curve Lake First Nation, Trent University, the County of Peterborough, and the City of Peterborough.

Natalie Stephenson is the Hub Coordinator of Green Economy Peterborough, a project of GreenUP, which officially launches on April 22, 2021. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)
Natalie Stephenson is the Hub Coordinator of Green Economy Peterborough, a project of GreenUP, which officially launches on April 22, 2021. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)

Green Economy Peterborough’s launch is an excellent opportunity for businesses to make a commitment to climate action, and contribute to to a resilient, low-carbon economy for Peterborough region.

To register for the launch event, or for more information about how to get involved with Green Economy Peterborough, visit www.greeneconomypeterborough.ca.

Peterborough’s political leaders urge province to increase vaccine supply to region

By kawarthaNOW -
Residents 80 years of age and older receiving their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the COVID-19 immunization clinic in Peterborough on March 21, 2021. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)

City of Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien and Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones have jointly called on the provincial government to increase the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to the Peterborough region.

“This stay-at-home order is a critical time for us to ensure we have the vaccine supply we need to meet the month end target of having everyone over 60 vaccinated,” reads the statement, which was issued on Thursday (April 8) — the same day the province’s third state of emergency went into effect, including a four-week stay-at-home order.

“Right now, we don’t have enough allocated for our area to meet this target,” Therrien and Jones add, pointing out the area needs more than 10,000 doses to meet the goal of vaccinating everyone over the age of 60.

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The statement notes the percentage of older people in the Peterborough region is eight per cent higher than the provincial average, and also mentions the high level of variants of concern in the region.

Therrien and Jones also point out a large number of visitors come to the area every weekend during spring, adding “This puts our residents and communities at risk.”

“We are so glad to see our community embrace the vaccine and have a very low rate of vaccine hesitancy,” the statement reads. “Help us help them!”

The statement concludes with a request to the provincial government “to support our residents and businesses as we eventually can open back up and welcome visitors back to our area.”

A copy of the complete statement is provided below.

PDF: Joint statement from City and County of Peterborough – April 8, 2021
Joint statement from City and County of Peterborough - April 8, 2021

Ontario reports 3,215 COVID-19 cases, including 50 in greater Kawarthas region

By kawarthaNOW -

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

On the same day Ontario declared its third state of emergency and a month-long stay-at-home order, the province is reporting 3,215 new COVID-19 cases, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 126 to 2,988.

There are 126 more confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, 1 more case of the B.1.351 South Africa variant, and 14 more cases of the P.1 Brazilian variant. There is another large increase in hospitalizations, with a small decrease in ICU admissions and an even smaller increase in ventilated patients. New cases in schools and child care settings have spiked.

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 50 new cases to report and an additional 23 cases resolved, with the number of active cases climbing by 30 to 349. See below for detailed numbers from each regional health unit.

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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (1,095), Peel (596), York (342), Ottawa (225), Durham (187), Middlesex-London (113), and Hamilton (104).

There are double-digit increases today in Halton (75), Waterloo (74), Simcoe Muskoka (68), Niagara (46), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (42), Windsor-Essex (38), Eastern Ontario (32), Sudbury (29), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (22), Hastings Prince Edward (18), Brant (17), Haldimand-Norfolk (17), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (12), and Peterborough (10), with smaller increases in Thunder Bay (9), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (9), Southwestern (9), Porcupine (8), and Northwestern (6).

The remaining 8 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.

Of today’s new cases, 56% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,188) among people ages 20-39 followed by 929 cases among people ages 40-59 and 620 cases among people 19 and under.

With 2,407 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 90.6%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 2.2% to 6.7%, meaning that 67 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on April 6.

Ontario is reporting 17 new COVID-19 deaths, with 1 new death in a long-term care home. Ontario has averaged 16 new daily deaths over the past week, an increase of 1 from yesterday.

The number of hospitalizations increased yesterday by 236 to 1,397, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 6 to 504 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 1 to 311.

A total of 49,889 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 12,451 to 41,624.

A total of 2,726,221 doses of vaccine have now been administered, a record single day increase of 104,382, with 324,783 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,635.

The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.20% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.01% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 18.50% of the population, an increase of 0.71% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.

There are 719 new cases in Ontario schools, an increase of 483 from yesterday, including 571 student cases, 146 staff cases, and 2 cases among unidentified people. There are 199 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 123 from yesterday, including 113 cases among children and 86 cases among staff.

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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 50 new cases to report, including 27 in Hastings Prince Edward, 17 in Peterborough, 4 in Northumberland, and 2 in Kawartha Lakes.

An outbreak related to student transportation on Tri-board Bus #499, with 2 cases, was declared on April 7.

There are 35 new regional cases of presumed variants of concern, including 17 in Northumberland, 11 in Hastings Prince Edward, 6 in Peterborough, and 1 in Haliburton.

An additional 23 cases have been resolved, including 11 in Hastings Prince Edward, 7 in Peterborough, 4 in Northumberland, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes.

There are currently 349 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 30 from yesterday, including 167 in Hastings Prince Edward (61 in Quinte West, 61 in Belleville, 8 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 3 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, 16 in Prince Edward County, 17 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings), 89 in Peterborough, 63 in Northumberland, 23 in Kawartha Lakes, and 7 in Haliburton.

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 949 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (849 resolved with 11 deaths), 606 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (541 resolved with 55 deaths), 561 in Northumberland County (486 resolved with 12 deaths), 75 in Haliburton County (67 resolved with 1 death), and 654 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (481 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on April 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).

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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: 949 (increase of 17)
Total variants of concern cases: 246 (increase of 6)
Active cases: 89 (increase of 10)
Close contacts: 246 (increase of 11)
Deaths: 11 (no change)
Resolved: 849 (increase of 7)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 31 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 47,350 (increase of 100)
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: 30,433 (last updated April 1)

*As of April 7, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 12 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 1) and 27 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: 1,242, including 606 in Kawartha Lakes, 561 in Northumberland, and 75 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 4 in Northumberland)*
Cases with N501Y mutation: 109, including 38 in Kawartha Lakes, 70 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 18, including 17 in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton)**
Active cases: 93, including 23 in Kawartha Lakes, 63 in Northumberland, and 7 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)
Probable cases: 2 in Northumberland (no change)
High-risk contacts: 318, including 54 in Kawartha Lakes, 195 in Northumberland, and 16 in Haliburton (net increase of 35)***
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: 1,094, including 541 in Kawartha Lakes, 486 in Northumberland, 67 in Haliburton (increase of 5, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 4 in Northumberland)
Tests completed: 166,573 (increase of 758)
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 (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 53 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.

****As of April 7, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 2 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: 654 (increase of 27)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 78 (increase of 11)
Active cases: 167 (increase of 19)
Deaths: 6 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 3 (increase of 1)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 481 (increase of 11)
Tests completed: 115,280 (increase of 10)
Vaccine doses administered: 36,677 (increase of 1,475)
Number of people fully vaccinated: 3,183 (increase of 949)
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 (increase of 1)*

*An outbreak related to student transportation on Tri-board Bus #499, with 2 cases, was declared on April 7.

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Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 370,817 (increase of 3,215)
COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 2,291 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 126); 72 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 1); 120 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 14)
VOC R(t): 1.23 (decrease of 0.01, last updated April 2)*
7-day average of daily new cases: 2,988 (increase of 126)
Positivity rate: 6.7% (decrease of 2.2%)
Resolved: 335,983 (increase of 2,407), 90.6% of all cases (decrease of 0.1%)
Hospitalizations: 1,397 (increase of 236)
Hospitalizations in ICU: 504 (decrease of 6)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 311 (increase of 1)
Deaths: 7,475 (increase of 17)
7-day average of daily new deaths: 16 (increase of 1)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,904 (increase of 1)
Total tests completed: 12,905,286 (increase of 49,889)
Tests under investigation: 41,624 (increase of 12,451)
Vaccination doses administered: 2,726,221 (increase of 104,382), 18.50% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.71%)**
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 324,783 (increase of 1,635), 2.20% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.01%)**

*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.

COVID-19 cases in Ontario from March 7 - April 6, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from March 7 – April 6, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from March 7 - April 6, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from March 7 – April 6, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from March 7 - April 6, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from March 7 – April 6, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from March 7 - April 6, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from March 7 – April 6, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from March 7 - April 6, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from March 7 – April 6, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)

 

For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

As COVID-19 rages across Ontario, province imposes month-long stay-at-home order effective Thursday

By kawarthaNOW -
Ontario Premier Doug Ford at a media conference at Queen's Park on April 7, 2021, announcing a month-long province-wide stay-at-home order that takes effect April 8, 2021. (CPAC screenshot)

The Ontario government is imposing a province-wide stay-at-home order for the next four weeks, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, April 8th.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon (April 7) at Queen’s Park, at a media conference along with health minister Christine Elliott, solicitor general Sylvia Jones, and Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams.

“The reality is, despite everything we’ve done so far, the COVID-19 situation in Ontario is getting worse as these new variants continue to spread,” Ford said. “Our hospitals are reaching capacity, and patients in the GTA must now be sent to other parts of the province for care. In fact, we learned yesterday morning that admissions to ICUs in the past week are increasing faster than the worst-case scenario predicted by our experts.”

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“I’m hearing from more and more of our hospital CEOs about the situation in our hospitals and ICUs. I can’t stress this enough: things are extremely, extremely serious right now and I’m extremely concerned.”

The stay-at-home order requires everyone to remain at home except for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services (including getting vaccinated), for exercise close to home and with the people you live with, or for work that cannot be done remotely.

Schools and child care will remain open for in-person learning and care and in public health regions where they are permitted to remain open, with strict safety measures in place.

In addition to the stay-at-home order, only essential businesses such as grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open for in-person shopping, with big box and discount retailers restricted to selling groceries, household cleaning supplies, pharmacy items (pharmaceutical, health care ,and personal care items), and pet care supplies only.

Non-essential retail stores will be allowed to offer curbside pickup and delivery between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., with delivery allowed from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Access to shopping malls will be restricted to limited specified purposes, including access for curbside pickup and delivery (via appointment), with one single designated location inside
the shopping mall, and any number of designated locations outside the shopping mall.

Outdoor garden centres and plant nurseries, and indoor greenhouses that sell to the public, can remain open with a 25 per cent capacity limit and a restriction on hours of operation.

Other stores that can remain open for in-person shopping by appointment, subject to a 25 per cent capacity limit and only allowed to be open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., include safety supply stores, medical and health care stores, rental and leasing services, optical stores that sell prescription eyewear to the public, motor vehicle and watercraft dealers, vehicle and equipment repair and rental, and mobile phone retailers for sales or support.

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The Ontario government has also announced it is expanding its vaccination efforts.

Beginning next week, education workers who provide direct support to students with special education needs across the province, and all education workers in select hot spot areas, will be eligible to register for vaccination.

Vaccinations will begin during the April break starting with priority neighbourhoods in Toronto and Peel, then rolling out to priority neighbourhoods in other hot spot regions, including York, Ottawa, Hamilton, Halton, and Durham. This will be followed by a rollout across the province as supply allows.

People living in regions with the highest rates of transmission will be moved to the top of the list to receive a vaccine, starting with Toronto and Peel and later to other “hot spot” regions. Mobile clinics will administer vaccines to people 18 and over in high-risk congregate settings, residential buildings, faith-based locations, and locations occupied by large employers in hot spot neighbourhoods. Pop-up clinics will also be set up in these neighbourhoods, including at faith-based locations and community centres.

As of Friday (April 9), the government will also extend eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination appointments through its provincial booking system to people 50 and over in those public health regions with high-risk areas.

COVID-19 cases in Ontario over the past four weeks. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 cases in Ontario over the past four weeks. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
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Today’s announcement comes less than a week after the government’s decision to apply a four-week long “emergency brake” shutdown to the entire province in an attempt to control the spread of the more contagious and virulent COVID-19 variants.

The shutdown, which went into effect last Saturday, did not include a stay-at-home order — contrary to a recommendation from Ontario’s COVID-19 science advisory table released last week. It also allowed all retail businesses to remain open for in-person shopping, although with reduced capacities.

There was widespread criticism the shutdown did not go far enough, compounded after reports that large crowds gathered at malls over the Easter long weekend. Earlier this week, the medical officers of health for Toronto, Ottawa, and Peel — three of the regions with the highest daily case counts — called on the government to impose a stay-at-home order.

Over the past seven days, Ontario has averaged almost 3,000 new cases each day, including 3,215 new cases today. More than half of the infections are in people under the age of 39. There are now almost 1,400 Ontarians hospitalized with COVID-19, including more than 500 people in intensive care units — the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic.

COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario over the past four weeks. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario over the past four weeks. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)

 

This story has been updated with additional information about the provincial state of emergency.

Additional Peterborough region vaccine clinics opening in Apsley, Buckhorn, and Millbrook

By kawarthaNOW -

Rural residents in Peterborough County have more options to get a COVID-19 vaccination closer to home, with three mass vaccine clinics opening in Apsley, Buckhorn, and Millbrook — and anyone in the province 60 and older can now book an appointment for a vaccine.

In addition to the existing clinic at Evinrude Centre (911 Monaghan Rd, Peterborough), clinics are opening at the following locations:

  • North Kawartha Community Centre (340 McFadden Road, Apsley). Initial appointments will be available between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Sunday, April 11th to Tuesday, April 13th.
  • Buckhorn Community Centre (1782 Lakehurst Road, Buckhorn). Initial appointments will be available between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Thursday, April 15th to Saturday, April 17th.
  • Cavan Monaghan Community Centre (986 County Road 10, Millbrook). Initial appointments will be available between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Monday, April 26th to Wednesday, April 28th.
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The clinics will become available in the provincial booking system for appointments at covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine five days before they open. If the clinics are full when you try to make an appointment, check again the following day as more time slots will become available. Appointments can also be booked over the phone by calling Peterborough Public Health’s booking centre at 249-494-5631 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

The provincial government has now expanded vaccine eligibility at all mass clinics, which offer the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, to those 60 and older (born in or before 1961).

For people 55 and older (born in or before 1966), the following pharmacies in the Peterborough region are offering the AstraZeneca vaccine by appointment only: Costco Pharmacy (485 The Parkway), High Street Guardian Pharmacy (815 High Street, Unit 9), and Wal-Mart Pharmacy (1002 Chemong Road).

For update on vaccine clinic locations and appointment dates and times in the Peterborough region, visit peterboroughpublichealth.ca/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/covid-19-vaccine-clinic/

 

This story has been updated to reflect vaccine eligibility has been expanded to those 60 and older.

Ontario reports 3,065 COVID-19 cases, including 78 in greater Kawarthas region

By kawarthaNOW -

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

In the fourth day of the provincial shutdown, Ontario is reporting 3,065 new COVID-19 cases with 8 health units now reporting triple-digit increases and the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 104 to 2,862. There are 30 more confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant and 3 more cases of the P.1 Brazilian variant.

The percentage of active cases continues to increase and the positivity rate has climbed to 8.9%. Hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and the number of people on ventilators all continue to increase, although the number of new deaths has declined.

At a media conference earlier today, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said there would be an announcement on Wednesday (April 7) regarding further public health restrictions.

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 78 new cases to report and an additional 31 cases resolved, with the number of active cases spiking by 46 to 319. See below for detailed numbers from each regional health unit.

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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (955), Peel (561), York (320), Ottawa (165), Niagara (132), Hamilton (128), Halton (119), and Durham (101).

There are double-digit increases today in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (88), Middlesex-London (82), Waterloo (71), Simcoe Muskoka (55), Brant (45), Windsor-Essex (40), Hastings Prince Edward (35), Sudbury (23), Eastern Ontario (22), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (21), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (19), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (12), Haldimand-Norfolk (12), and Southwestern (11), with smaller increases in Renfrew (8), Grey Bruce (8), Northwestern (6), and Lambton (6).

The remaining 8 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 1 health unit (North Bay Parry Sound) reporting no new cases.

Of today’s new cases, 58% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,167) among people ages 20-39 followed by 884 cases among people ages 40-59 and 603 cases among people 19 and under.

With 1,976 more cases resolved, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.3% to 90.7%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 1.1% to 8.9%, meaning that 89 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on April 5.

Ontario is reporting 8 new COVID-19 deaths, 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 219 to 1,161, but this number excludes data from more than 10% of hospitals so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has increased by 14 to 510 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 17 to 310.

A total of 37,541 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 11,434 to 29,173.

A total of 2,621,839 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 76,199, with 323,148 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 951.

The number of fully vaccinated people remains at 2.19% of Ontario’s population, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 17.80% of the population, an increase of 0.52% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.

There are 236 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 13 from the last update on April 1, including 207 student cases and 29 staff cases. There are 76 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 17 since April 1, including 54 cases among children and 22 cases among staff.

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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 78 new cases to report, including 41 in Northumberland, 19 in Hastings Prince Edward, 13 in Peterborough, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, and 2 in Haliburton.

Outbreaks have been declared at The Richmond Retirement Residence in Belleville, St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg, and Timber House Resort in Brighton.

There are 49 new regional cases of presumed variants of concern, including 28 in Peterborough, 10 in Northumberland, 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 5 in Kawartha Lakes.

There is 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes and 1 new hospitalization in Northumberland.

An additional 31 cases have been resolved, including 11 in Northumberland, 8 in Hastings Prince Edward, 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Haliburton, and 1 in Peterborough. An outbreak at Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg was declared over on April 6, with a single confirmed positive case in one staff member resolved with no transmission to residents or other staff.

There are currently 319 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 46 from yesterday, including 148 in Hastings Prince Edward (57 in Quinte West, 52 in Belleville, 6 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 12 in Prince Edward County, 17 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings), 79 in Peterborough, 63 in Northumberland, 22 in Kawartha Lakes, and 7 in Haliburton.

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 932 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (842 resolved with 11 deaths), 604 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (540 resolved with 55 deaths), 557 in Northumberland County (482 resolved with 12 deaths), 75 in Haliburton County (67 resolved with 1 death), and 628 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (470 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on April 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).

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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: 932 (increase of 13)
Total variants of concern cases: 240 (increase of 28)
Active cases: 79 (increase of 12)
Close contacts: 235 (increase of 1)
Deaths: 11 (no change)
Resolved: 842 (increase of 1)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 31 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 47,250 (increase of 50)
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: 30,433 (last updated April 1)

*As of April 6, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 11 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of at least 2) and 27 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (increase of 2).

 

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. These numbers are from April 4 to 6.

Confirmed positive: 1,236, including 604 in Kawartha Lakes, 557 in Northumberland, and 75 in Haliburton (increase of 45, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 41 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton)*
Cases with N501Y mutation: 91, including 38 in Kawartha Lakes and 53 in Northumberland (increase of 15, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 10 in Northumberland)**
Active cases: 92, including 22 in Kawartha Lakes, 63 in Northumberland, and 7 in Haliburton (net increase of 23)
Probable cases: 2 in Northumberland (net decrease of 1)
High-risk contacts: 283, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 165 in Northumberland, and 16 in Haliburton (increase of 76)***
Hospitalizations (total to date): 53, including 32 in Kawartha Lakes, 18 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (increase of 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)****
Deaths (including among probable cases): 68, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Resolved: 1,089, including 540 in Kawartha Lakes, 482 in Northumberland, 67 in Haliburton (increase of 22, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton)
Tests completed: 165,815 (increase of 1,682)
Vaccine doses administered: 30,408 (increase of 7,210 since March 29)
Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,989 (increase of 371 since March 29)
Outbreaks: St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg, Timber House Resort in Brighton (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 46 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.

****As of April 6, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 2 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).

*****An outbreak at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg was declared on April 3 and an outbreak at Timber House Resort in Brighton was declared on April 5. An outbreak at Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg was declared over on April 6, with a single confirmed positive case in one staff member resolved with no transmission to residents or other staff.

 

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: 628 (increase of 19)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 67 (increase of 6)
Active cases: 148 (increase of 11)
Deaths: 6 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 4 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 470 (increase of 8)
Tests completed: 115,270 (increase of 29,364)
Vaccine doses administered: 35,202 (increase of 1,251)
Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,234 (increase of 136)
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 (increase of 1)*

*An outbreak at The Richmond Retirement Residence in Belleville was declared on April 6.

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Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 367,602 (increase of 3,065)
COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 2,165 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 30); 71 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (no change); 106 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 3)
VOC R(t): 1.25 (no change, last updated April 1)*
7-day average of daily new cases: 2,862 (increase of 104)
Positivity rate: 8.9% (increase of 1.1%)
Resolved: 333,576 (increase of 1,976), 90.7% of all cases (decrease of 0.3%)
Hospitalizations: 1,161 (increase of 219)**
Hospitalizations in ICU: 510 (increase of 14)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 310 (increase of 17)
Deaths: 7,458 (increase of 8)
7-day average of daily new deaths: 15 (decrease of 1)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,903 (no change)
Total tests completed: 12,855,397 (increase of 37,541)
Tests under investigation: 29,173 (increase of 11,434)
Vaccination doses administered: 2,621,839 (increase of 76,199), 17.80% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.52%)***
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 323,148 (increase of 951), 2.19% of Ontario’s population (no change)***

*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.

**As more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher than reported.

***An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.

COVID-19 cases in Ontario from March 6 - April 5, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from March 6 – April 5, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from March 6 - April 5, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from March 6 – April 5, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from March 6 - April 5, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from March 6 – April 5, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from March 6 - April 5, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from March 6 – April 5, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from March 6 - April 5, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from March 6 – April 5, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)

 

For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

Peterborough community mourns tragic deaths of entrepreneur Jessica Dalliday and her newborn daughter

By kawarthaNOW -
Michael, Rachel, and Jessica Dalliday. (Photo: Dalliday family)

The Peterborough community is mourning after learning of the deaths of well-known entrepreneur Jessica “Jess” Dalliday (nee Patterson) and her newborn daughter.

The owner and CEO of Pilates on Demand, Jess passed away in hospital on Tuesday (April 6) following a complication that led to the passing of her newborn daughter Angeline last Thursday (April 1).

Jess leaves behind her husband Michael and their two-year-old daughter Rachel.

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Rosalea Pearl, a close friend who also worked with Jess when she was a client of the Innovation Cluster, shared the tragic news on Facebook.

It is with extreme devastation and sadness that I have to share this fundraiser for the Dalliday family while they go…

Posted by Rosalea Pearl on Tuesday, April 6, 2021

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up at gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-dallidays to support Michael and Rachel, raising over $76,000 in four hours after it was created. (Update: as of April 7, $167,993 has been raised for the Dalliday family).

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