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Data adjustment in Toronto has Ontario reporting only 745 new COVID-19 cases

By kawarthaNOW -

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

Ontario is reporting only 745 new cases today, mainly because Toronto Public Health has a negative number of cases as a result of migrating all of its data to Ontario’s Case and Contact Management system.

During the migration, the health unit identified duplicate cases and made other adjustments resulting in no new cases and an adjustment of -119 cases today. However, Toronto Public Health reported 961 new cases on February 1; removing the negative adjustment and adding these cases, the actual case count for Ontario today would be around 1,800 new cases.

The province also states that case counts for other public health units may have been affected by system outages caused by the migration to the new system, and that case numbers may be fluctuating over the next few days.

Ontario is reporting 40 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, as well as its first case of the B.1.351 South Africa variant (first reported on Monday).

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 4 new cases to report and 14 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 12 to 91. There have been 2 new COVID-19 deaths in Kawartha Lakes.

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Most of today’s new cases are in Peel (334) and York (124). The Ontario data shows -119 cases for Toronto as a data adjustment; however, on February 1, Toronto Public Health reported 961 new cases.

There are double-digit increases in Niagara (65), Hamilton (52), Durham (44), Halton (44), Simcoe Muskoka (42), Windsor-Essex (35), Waterloo (27), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (17), Ottawa (14), Middlesex-London (14), Thunder Bay (13), and Southwestern (12), with a smaller increase in Chatham-Kent (9).

The remaining 19 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 6 health units reporting no new cases at all.

Of today’s new cases, 53% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (233) among people ages 20-39, followed by 214 cases among people ages 40-59. These numbers do not include Toronto.

With 2,297 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.6% to 91.3%, The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.6% to 4.6%, meaning that 46 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on February 1.

Ontario is reporting 14 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 4 in long-term care homes — the fewest daily deaths since December 8 when 10 deaths were reported. Ontario has averaged 47 new daily deaths over the past week.

Hospitalizations have increased by 34 from yesterday to 1,192, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 13 to 341 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 7 to 253.

A total of 28,552 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 20,697 to 32,348.

A total of 344,615 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 2,715 from yesterday, with 72,057 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,764 from yesterday.

There are 22 new cases in Ontario schools, an increase of 15 from yesterday, including 17 student cases, 4 staff cases, and 1 case among an unidentified person. There are 39 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 21 from yesterday, with 16 cases among children and 23 cases among staff.

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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 4 new cases to report, including 2 in Peterborough, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward and Haliburton.

There have been 2 new COVID-related deaths in Kawartha Lakes, as well as 1 new hospitalization. A second outbreak was declared at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay on February.

An additional 14 cases have been resolved, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, 2 in Haliburton, and 2 in Peterborough.

There are currently 91 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 12 from yesterday, including 45 in Kawartha Lakes, 33 in Peterborough, 9 in Northumberland, 2 in Haliburton, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West and 1 in Belleville).

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 547 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (506 resolved with 8 deaths), 453 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (378 resolved with 43 deaths), 371 in Northumberland County (353 resolved with 9 deaths), 50 in Haliburton County (48 resolved with no deaths), and 367 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (360 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent 2 deaths were reported in Kawartha Lakes on February 2.

The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).

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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: 547 (increase of 2)
Active cases: 33 (no change)
Close contacts: 71 (increase of 8)
Deaths: 8 (no change)
Resolved: 506 (increase of 2)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 23 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 41,650 (increase of 50)
Outbreaks: The Regency retirement home in Lakefield, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Peterborough Retirement Residence (no change)

*As of February 2, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 7 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 12 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 statutory holidays.

Confirmed positive: 874, including 453 in Kawartha Lakes, 371 in Northumberland, and 50 in Haliburton (increase of 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)*
Active cases: 56, including 45 in Kawartha Lakes, 9 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (decrease of 12, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton)
Probable cases: 3 in Kawartha Lakes (no change)
High-risk contacts: 122, including 69 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, and 15 in Haliburton (net decrease of 2)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 34, including 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)***
Deaths (including among probable cases): 52, including 43 in Kawartha Lakes and 9 in Northumberland (increase of 2 in Kawartha Lakes)
Resolved: 779, including 378 in Kawartha Lakes, 353 in Northumberland, 48 in Haliburton (increase of 12, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton)
Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg, Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth, Caressant Care Mary Street retirement home in Lindsay, Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay (two outbreaks), Regency long-term care home in Port Hope, Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden (increase of 1)****

*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.

**This total includes an additional 8 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.

***As of February 2, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).

****A second outbreak was declared at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay on February 1.

 

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, excluding statutory holidays.

Confirmed positive: 367 (no change)
Active cases: 2 (no change)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 360 (no change)
Tests completed: 46,653 (increase of 42)
Vaccines administered: 1,096 (increase of 96)
Institutional outbreaks: Trent Valley Lodge long-term care home in Trenton (no change)

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Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 270,925 (increase of 745)*
7-day average of new cases: 1,746 (decrease of 143)*
Resolved: 247,236 (increase of 2,297, 91.3% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 4.6% (decrease of 0.6%)
Hospitalized: 1,192 (increase of 34)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 341 (decrease of 13)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 253 (decrease of 7)
Deaths: 6,238 (increase of 14)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,618 (increase of 4)
Total tests completed: 9,732,428 (increase of 28,552)
Tests under investigation: 32,348 (increase of 20,697)
Vaccination doses administered: 344,615 (increase of 2,715)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 72,057 (increase of 1,764)
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 109 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 40); 1 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 1)

*Toronto Public Health is reporting a negative number of cases today as a result of migrating all of its data to Ontario’s Case and Contact Management system. During the migration, the health unit identified duplicate cases and made other adjustments resulting in no new cases reported and an adjustment of -119 cases. This has resulting in an under-reporting of today’s cases and the seven-day average of new cases.

COVID-19 cases in Ontario from January 2 - February 1, 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 January 2 – February 1, 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 January 2 - February 1, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from January 2 – February 1, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, 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 January 2 - February 1, 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 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 January 2 – February 1, 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 is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from January 2 - February 1, 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 January 2 – February 1, 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)

 

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

As Peterborough’s active COVID-19 cases drop, more transmissible variants on public health’s radar

By Paul Rellinger -
The first 500 doses of the Moderna vaccine delivered to Peterborough have been used to provide residents of three area long-term care with their first doses. There are enough doses left over to fully inoculate of residents of a fourth long-term care home. (Photo: Peterborough Regional Health Centre)

Those looking for any semblance of good news to latch on to as another yet month of the COVID-19 pandemic dawns have reason to smile.

During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Tuesday (February 2), medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra reported a continued downward trend in the number of new local positive cases detected.

As of 4:30 p.m. on Monday, there are 33 active COVID-19 cases in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha — a significant drop from the 50 active cases reported the previous Friday.

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Even more encouraging is that no new cases were reported Monday, the first time this has occurred since December 14th. To date this week, there is just one new case reported.

The latest numbers continue a downward trend between the week of December 28th, when a record weekly high of 71 new cases were reported, to the week of January 25th when 31 new cases were confirmed. Still, January’s total of 198 total cases represents the highest one-month total of new cases reported locally since the pandemic began.

The news is also good on the local outbreak front with no new outbreaks reported, and those previously declared at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Peterborough Retirement Resident, and Regency Retirement in Lakefield reported as stable. An outbreak reported January 17th at Centennial Place long-term care home in Millbrook is now resolved.

Still, the dark cloud cast by the growing emergence of more contagious COVID-19 variants across Ontario is keeping local public health officials wary.

“I’m hoping we are seeing the peak of the second wave here but with variants of concern now being identified in other parts of the province, our current control of the outbreak remains tenuous,” cautioned Dr. Salvaterra, noting public health is stepping up its efforts to stay ahead of the emergence of the variants.

In Ontario to date, 109 cases have been reported of the B.1.1.7 variant, commonly called the UK variant as it was first identified in the United Kingdom last fall. Ontario’s first case of B.1.351, commonly called the South Africa variant, was reported yesterday. Another variant, P.1 (the Brazil variant) has been detected in the US but not yet in Canada.

“We have enhanced our management of all COVID cases and contacts,” Dr. Salvaterra said, describing the health unit’s efforts to prepare for more contagious variants. “We have decreased our threshold for identifying contacts as being high risk and are also increasing the frequency of testing of high-risk contacts, with some now being tested twice during their isolation period. We will be treating any symptomatic contacts as possible cases until proven otherwise.”

Dr. Salvaterra stressed that while many COVID variant cases in Ontario have been traced back to travel, that’s not exclusive.

“We have community spread of variants because they were introduced at some point, maybe two or three or four cycles ago. They are more easily transmitted — there’s about a 56 per cent higher transmission rate — so you don’t require as much as an exposure. If we have these variants locally, we will have more exposure occurring.”

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Dr. Salvaterra also provided an update on the first-dose vaccinations of local long-term care home residents, noting there are enough doses left over from last week’s first shipment of 500 doses of the Modern vaccine to fully immunize the residents of Springdale Country Manor in Cavan-Monaghan Township.

She said the next shipment of the Moderna vaccine is expected “this Friday or Saturday” and will be used to immunize residents of the final three long-term care homes yet to be visited early next week. In addition to Springdale Manor, residents of Fairhaven, Riverview Manor, Extendicare Lakefield and Pleasant Meadow Manor in Norwood have already received their first dose.

As for the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols at local big-box and grocery stores, local inspectors visited 11 stores this past weekend with another 19 undergoing inspection this week.

“So far, we’re finding our local businesses are for the most part taking the recommended and required actions,” says Dr. Salvaterra.

“There are some areas for improvement, the most common including the types of disinfectants being used and the procedures for disinfecting. Some are having issues with screening, and some don’t have adequate signage for the public. We have to follow up with some that have not monitored their capacity limits. We’re also doing additional work with some on their safety plans.”

Also present and commenting during Tuesday’s briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien, Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, Hiawatha First Nations Chief Laurie Carr, and Peterborough Board of Health chair and Selwyn Mayor Andy Mitchell.

Local artists can apply for funding for Peterborough Artsweek ‘pocket festival’ taking place this spring

By Sarah McNeilly -
Peterborough-area artists can now apply for funding for Artsweek SHIFT2, a "pocket festival" of the arts running from March to May in advance of the full Artsweek festival scheduled for fall 2021. Pictured is "The Door That You Walk Through", a film by Daniel Crawford projected onto the side of an abandoned brick building behind The Only Café, during Artsweek 2018. (Photo: Andy Carroll)

The Electric City Culture Council and Peterborough Artsweek have launched an open call for applications for Artsweek SHIFT2, a “pocket festival” of the arts taking place between March and the end of May in Peterborough.

The grant program consists of two funding components for individuals or groups of professional artists who are over the age of 18, Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and living in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong.

The first funding component, “Mini Grants for Professional Artists”, focuses on research and development and provides up to $1,500, whereas the second funding component, “Project Production and Presentation”, requires public presentation of completed projects and provides up to $3,000.

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The deadline for proposals for both components is Monday, February 22nd, with results announced on Monday, March 8th.

The biennial Artsweek, one of the largest multi-arts festivals in Peterborough, was originally scheduled to take place in September of 2020. Due to COVID, however, the 10-day multi-arts festival has been postponed until September 2021.

In the interim, the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) negotiated with their funders to use some Artsweek funding for a smaller version of the festival to support artists during the pandemic.

"Menacing Beauty: The John Climenhage Storefront Project", a COVID-safe exhibition of works by the local artist featured during Artsweek SHIFT in the fall and winter of 2020. One component of Artsweek SHIFT<sup>2</sup> will provide funding of up to $3,000 for artists and artist groups to create COVID-safe public presentations of artistic work between March and May 2021. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
“Menacing Beauty: The John Climenhage Storefront Project”, a COVID-safe exhibition of works by the local artist featured during Artsweek SHIFT in the fall and winter of 2020. One component of Artsweek SHIFT2 will provide funding of up to $3,000 for artists and artist groups to create COVID-safe public presentations of artistic work between March and May 2021. (Photo: Andy Carroll)

“Artsweek gets funded every year and then we run it every two years,” says Gabe Pollock, EC3 program coordinator. “In the off years, we save that money for the next festival. Essentially, we’ve used some of the 2020 money and some of the other money that EC3 had for other programs that were cancelled because of COVID.”

By shifting funds, EC3 was able to ensure there would be much-needed support and opportunities for artists in dire need during the pandemic, while also ensuring funds were reserved for a separate full festival later in 2021 — assuming pandemic conditions permit the full festival to proceed.

Unlike other years, there is no theme for the festival or the call for proposals. EC3 realizes this is an Artsweek like no other — the only parameters this year are ensuring proposed projects adhere to all current COVID-19 safety protocols.

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Component one of the Artsweek SHIFT2 grant program seeks to support artists’ creative development and to sustain their art practice. Projects can include public presentation of completed work, but are not required to.

The main objective of component one is to support professional artists working in any discipline, at any stage of their career, to undertake creative activities that advance their practice and work.

“Component one is pretty wide open and the application form is simpler too,” Pollock says. “Basically, if you can come up with something you need that will help you right now, we will try to fund it.”

Poet Elizabeth Jenkins at "An Afternoon of Spoken Word & Poetry #1" on October 24, 2020 in the parking lot of The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough. The event was part of Artsweek SHIFT: Downtown, curated by poet Justin Million. One component of Artsweek SHIFT<sup>2</sup> will provide funding of up to $1,500 to support artists' creative development and to sustain their art practice. Projects can include public performance but are not required to. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Poet Elizabeth Jenkins at “An Afternoon of Spoken Word & Poetry #1” on October 24, 2020 in the parking lot of The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough. The event was part of Artsweek SHIFT: Downtown, curated by poet Justin Million. One component of Artsweek SHIFT2 will provide funding of up to $1,500 to support artists’ creative development and to sustain their art practice. Projects can include public performance but are not required to. (Photo: Andy Carroll)

Eligible activities for component one include research and development of new or existing works, works in progress, or establishing new approaches to work. Assistance is also available for professional development or training.

Activities must occur within three months of acceptance into component one of the grant program.

“If you can pitch how this will help you improve as an artist, we want to support you,” Pollock says. “Component one has the option for public presentation, but it’s optional.”

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Component two of the Artsweek SHIFT2 grant program, however, requires a public presentation of the proposed project to be completed by May 31st.

The open call for component two seeks projects in any artistic discipline, occurring anywhere in the city of Peterborough/Nogojiwanong where COVID protocols can be followed, including but not limited to online projects. The call is open to individual artists, collectives, ad hoc groups, and arts organizations.

“I’m really interested to see what the creativity of the city comes up with,” says Pollock of potential component two proposals. “There are still ways to do things in person, even if the rules don’t allow us to gather.”

“Installation pieces, drive-by exhibits or performances, things that are passively there, or projects that makes for a hybrid experience of in-person and online are all possible with this program,” Pollock adds.

Component two includes, but is not limited to, performance (dance, theatre, multi-disciplinary, circus arts), visual art (installations, interventions, exhibitions, projections, virtual tours), media arts, writing and spoken word, and any form of music or sound (audio art).

Bethany LeBlonc's "Allies for Alleys", which imagines a sustainable gathering space in Peterborough where an inaccessible alley once lived, is part of the Post Code Tour virtual exhibition on Instagram, presenting during Artsweek SHIFT in the fall and winter of 2020. One component of Artsweek SHIFT<sup>2</sup> will provide funding of up to $3,000 for artists and artist groups creating COVID-safe public presentations of artistic work between March and May 2021. (@post_code_tour / Instagram)
Bethany LeBlonc’s “Allies for Alleys”, which imagines a sustainable gathering space in Peterborough where an inaccessible alley once lived, is part of the Post Code Tour virtual exhibition on Instagram, presenting during Artsweek SHIFT in the fall and winter of 2020. One component of Artsweek SHIFT2 will provide funding of up to $3,000 for artists and artist groups creating COVID-safe public presentations of artistic work between March and May 2021. (@post_code_tour / Instagram)

If you’re looking for inspiration in terms of potential online projects, Pollock suggests you check out “Post Code Tour”, which was part of the first phase of Artsweek SHIFT last fall and winter. Organized by Hannah Keating, Post Code Tour used Instagram to present a virtual tour of artistic imaginings of a more accessible downtown Peterborough (visit @post_code_tour).

“It’s a project that exists entirely in an online space, and provides all sorts of additional and interesting possibilities,” says Pollock of Post Code Tour. “It’s permanent and, despite being entirely online and socially distanced, it’s a collaboration between three different artists who found a way to create something together safely.”

Ultimately, Artsweek SHIFT2 seeks to support professional artists in Peterborough to continue cultivating their practice by means of research and development of new or existing works or by facilitating completed projects.

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“A lot of artists are looking for aid to be able to continue doing what they’re already doing,” explains Pollock. “If there’s something you want to try, try it.”

An arms-length peer assessment committee will make recommendations after reviewing all to Artsweek SHIFT2 applications and proposals.

Evaluations will be based on quality and clarity of artists’ statements, the artistic merit of proposals, and project feasibility — including the budget and demonstrated ability to carry out the project. Successful applicants will be notified on March 8th and will receive a letter of agreement from EC3.

Applicants are encouraged to start their proposals early, to read (and re-read) the full application, and to work through the provided checklists to ensure all required support materials are provided and submitted in the correct format.

Funding applications for Artsweek SHIFT<sup>2</sup> are due by February 22, 2021, with the results announced on Monday, March 8. The pocket arts festival will run from March until the end of May, with the full Artsweek festival scheduled for September 2021, pandemic willing. (Graphic: Artsweek Peterborough)
Funding applications for Artsweek SHIFT2 are due by February 22, 2021, with the results announced on Monday, March 8. The pocket arts festival will run from March until the end of May, with the full Artsweek festival scheduled for September 2021, pandemic willing. (Graphic: Artsweek Peterborough)

The deadline for applications is February 22, 2021. Application forms and additional information about the program are available at artsweekpeterborough.ca/news/announcing-artsweek-shift2.

Artists who identify as deaf, hard of hearing, or living with a disability and require accommodation or assistance to develop or make an application to this program, are encouraged to contact EC3 Program Coordinator Gabe Pollock at infoartsweek@gmail.com for support and more information.

Artsweek SHIFT2 and EC3 are committed to equity and inclusion, and also welcome applications from artists who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ2+ artists, and artists from marginalized communities.

On Thursday, February 4th, EC3 and Artsweek are hosting two application information sessions on the Zoom video-conferencing platform. The sessions, which takes place at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. and last around an hour, are free but advance registration is required. Register at artsweekpeterborough.ca/news/announcing-artsweek-shift2.

Lindsay man livestreams dramatic rescue of dog from house fire

By kawarthaNOW -
Lindsay man John Macdonald, along with a bystander, carry a dog out of a Melbourne Street West house that was on fire, as the fire department arrives on the scene. (Facebook video screenshot)

A Lindsay man livestreamed his dramatic rescue of a dog from a home that was on fire on Tuesday morning (February 2).

John Macdonald says he was out walking in the neighbourhood when he smelled burning plastic.

“I like to investigate things, so I ran three blocks to find I was first on scene,” Macdonald tells kawarthaNOW’s Sarah McNeilly, one of his Facebook friends.

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After calling 911 to report the fire at 8 Melbourne Street West, Macdonald heard barking inside the home and realized a dog was trapped inside the home.

“I thought there were people in there too,” he says.

He began taking a live video, and noticed a propane tank near the fire.

Lindsay man John Mcdonald was walking in the neighbourhood when he discovered a house was on fire. After calling 911, he realized a dog was trapped in the home. (Facebook video screenshot)
Lindsay man John Mcdonald was walking in the neighbourhood when he discovered a house was on fire. After calling 911, he realized a dog was trapped in the home. (Facebook video screenshot)

“Is that a propane tank in there?,” he asks on the video. “It’s gonna blow.”

He had located the owner outside the home and asked if he could get inside. The owner said the keys were locked inside the house, so he asked if he could kick in the front door.

After getting her permission, he made several unsuccessful attempts to kick in the door.

VIDEO: John Macdonald attempts to get dog out of home on fire

Posted by John Macdonald on Tuesday, February 2, 2021

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At this point, he stopped taking the video to figure out some other way to get inside the home.

“I smashed a window and climbed in,” he says.

After he got inside, another bystander got the door open and, with the Kawartha Lakes fire department now on the scene, they retrieved the dog from the burning home.

Macdonald says both the owner and the dog were uninjured in the fire.

Kawartha Lakes police closed Melbourne Street West between Lindsay Street South and William Street South for a fire investigation on Tuesday morning. The street has since been reopened.

Ontario reports 1,969 new COVID-19 cases, including first case of South Africa variant

By kawarthaNOW -
Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, announced the province's first confirmed case of the COVID-19 South Africa variant at a media briefing at Queen's Park on February 1, 2021. (CPAC screenshot)

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

Ontario is reporting 1,969 new cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases across the province increasing today by 2 to 1,889. Today’s total case count includes potentially over-reported cases from Toronto Public Health as that health unit migrates to Ontario’s Case and Contact Management system.

The province is reporting 11 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, as well as the first case in Ontario of the B.1.351 South Africa variant, which has been detected in a resident of Peel Region — although it remains a mystery how the resident contracted the new strain.

“This case has no history of travel and no known contact with a person who has travelled,” said Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, at a media briefing at Queen’s Park on Monday (February 1), adding that Peel Public Health is continuing to investigate the case.

Dr. Williams says the South Africa variant appears to have a “higher viral load”, meaning it is more transmissible, but that it’s still unknown whether the variant causes more severe illness.

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 25 new cases to report — the majority of them in Kawartha Lakes — and 32 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 9 to 103. There has been 1 new COVID-19 death in Northumberland.

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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (886), Peel (330), and York (128).

There are double-digit increases in Durham (90), Windsor-Essex (72), Niagara (61), Waterloo (60), Halton (55), Middlesex-London (47), Hamilton (39), Simcoe Muskoka (36), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (36), Ottawa (25), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (19), Chatham-Kent (15), Southwestern (15), and Eastern Ontario (14), with smaller increases in Lambton (9) and Thunder Bay (7).

The remaining 15 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 7 health units reporting no new cases at all.

Of today’s new cases, 50% are among people 40 and older, with the highest number of cases (695) among people ages 20-39, followed by 612 cases among people ages 40-59 and 280 cases among people 19 and younger.

With 2,132 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 90.7%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 1.5% to 5.2%, meaning that 52 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 31.

Ontario is reporting 36 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 19 in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 54 new daily deaths over the past week.

Hospitalizations have decreased by 1 from yesterday to 1,158, but this number may be under-reported as more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has decreased by 2 to 354, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 8 to 260.

A total of 30,359 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 3,965 to 11,651.

A total of 341,900 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 2,256 from yesterday, with 70,293 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,444 from yesterday.

There are 7 new cases in Ontario schools, an increase of 6 from January 29, including 5 student cases, 1 staff case, and 1 case among an unidentified person. There are 18 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 7 from January 29, with 14 cases among children and 4 cases among staff.

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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 25 new cases to report, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, 2 in Haliburton, 1 in Peterborough, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward.

There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Northumberland.

There is 1 new student case to report at Leslie Frost Public School in Lindsay.

New outbreaks were declared at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay on January 29, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope on January 30, and Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden on January 31.

A total of 32 cases have been resolved, including 16 in Peterborough, 13 in Kawartha Lakes, and 3 in Northumberland.

There are currently 103 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 9 from yesterday, including 53 in Kawartha Lakes, 33 in Peterborough, 11 in Northumberland, 4 in Haliburton, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West and 1 in Belleville).

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 545 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (504 resolved with 8 deaths), 452 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (371 resolved with 41 deaths), 370 in Northumberland County (350 resolved with 9 deaths), 50 in Haliburton County (46 resolved with no deaths), and 367 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (360 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on February 1.

The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).

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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. These numbers include January 31 and February 1.

Confirmed positive: 545 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 33 (decrease of 15)
Close contacts: 63 (decrease of 12)
Deaths: 8 (no change)
Resolved: 504 (increase of 16)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 23 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 41,600 (increase of 100)
Outbreaks: The Regency retirement home in Lakefield, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Peterborough Retirement Residence (no change)

*As of February 1, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 7 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (a decrease of 6) and 12 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 statutory holidays. These numbers include January 31 and February 1.

Confirmed positive: 872, including 452 in Kawartha Lakes, 370 in Northumberland, and 50 in Haliburton (increase of 23, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton)*
Active cases: 68, including 53 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton (net increase of 5)
Probable cases: 3 in Kawartha Lakes (decrease of 3, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)
High-risk contacts: 124, including 68 in Kawartha Lakes, 34 in Northumberland, and 14 in Haliburton (net decrease of 6)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 33, including 23 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (no change)***
Deaths (including among probable cases): 50, including 41 in Kawartha Lakes and 9 in Northumberland (increase of 1 in Northumberland)
Resolved: 767, including 371 in Kawartha Lakes, 350 in Northumberland, 46 in Haliburton (increase of 16, including 13 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg, Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth, Caressant Care Mary Street retirement home in Lindsay, Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope, Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden (increase of 3)****

*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.

**This total includes an additional 8 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.

***As of February 1, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).

****Outbreaks were declared at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay on January 29, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope on January 30, and Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden on January 31.

 

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, excluding statutory holidays.

Confirmed positive: 367 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 2 (increase of 1)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 360 (increase of 1)
Tests completed: 46,611 (increase of 99)
Vaccines administered: 1,000 (increase of 277)
Institutional outbreaks: Trent Valley Lodge long-term care home in Trenton (no change)

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Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 270,180 (increase of 1,969)*
7-day average of new cases: 1,889 (increase of 2)
Resolved: 244,939 (increase of 2,132, 90.7% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 5.2% (increase of 1.5%)
Hospitalized: 1,158 (decrease of 1)**
Hospitalized and in ICU: 354 (decrease of 2)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 260 (increase of 8)
Deaths: 6,224 (increase of 36)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,614 (increase of 19)
Total tests completed: 9,703,876 (increase of 30,359)
Tests under investigation: 11,651 (decrease of 3,965)
Vaccination doses administered: 341,900 (increase of 2,256)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 70,293 (increase of 1,444)
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 69 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 11)

*This total includes potentially over-reported cases from Toronto Public Health as that health unit migrates to Ontario’s Case and Contact Management system.

**This total may be under-reported as more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report.

COVID-19 cases in Ontario from January 1 - January 31, 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 January 1 – January 31, 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 January 1 - January 31, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from January 1 – January 31, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, 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 January 1 - January 31, 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 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 January 1 – January 31, 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 is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from January 1 - January 31, 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 January 1 – January 31, 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)

 

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

Human remains found after house fire early Friday morning north of Brighton

By kawarthaNOW -

Investigators have located human remains following a fire at a rural home near Codrington north of Brighton in Northumberland County early Friday morning (January 29).

Northumberland OPP and Brighton fire department, with the help of the Cramahe Township and Trent Hills fire departments, responded shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Friday to the report of a fire at a home on Old Wooler Road between Lord Road and Grosjean Road, located around five kilometres southeast of Codrington.

When emergency crews arrived on the scene, the blaze had already fully engulfed the home.

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After the fire was completely extinguished, investigators located human remains within the structure.

An OPP media release states the identity of the victim is “unable to be confirmed at this time”.

The scene is currently being held by the OPP as the circumstances surrounding the fire remain under investigation.

Northumberland OPP’s Major Crime Unit is investigating the incident with the assistance from the Central Region Forensic Identification Services, the Office of the Fire Marshal, and the Office of the Chief Coroner.

Further information will be released once it becomes available.

Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective reveals three winning original songs by Peterborough musicians

By Paul Rellinger -
The Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective, created to honour the late guitar luthier and former owner of Ed's Music Workshop in Peterborough (pictured), has announced the three winning songs of its inaugural song-writing contest to support Peterborough-area musicians. (Photo: Wayne Eardley)

Every now and then something that seemed like a great idea at the time becomes an even better idea when it’s acted upon.

Last year, Peterborough native Greg Wells, now a Los Angeles-based Grammy award-winning producer and musician, was looking for a meaningful way to honour his friend, the late Don Skuce.

Skuce, the former longtime owner of Ed’s Music Workshop in Peterborough and highly reputed guitar luthier, died in June 2018 at age 66 after a long battle with cancer.

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Grammy award winner Greg Wells launches Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective to support Peterborough-area musicians

An interview with Greg Wells about the Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective

The end result of Wells’ efforts led to the formation of the Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective that, at its heart, offers Peterborough-area musicians the opportunity to have a submitted original song recorded locally by producer James McKenty before being sent for final mixing and mastering, free of charge, by Wells at his Rocket Carousel Studio in Los Angeles.

That service, donated by a man who has produced music by Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Elton John, and Celine Dion, to name but a few, is well beyond the reach of local musicians.

And so the word went out promoting the first round of the contest, the result being more than 60 entries submitted for adjudication by a five-member board, its members including Wells’ friend and longtime Peterborough musician John Crown who worked at Ed’s as a teen and learned how to repair guitars in the process.

The winning songs by Emily Burgess, The Colton Sisters, and The Marshas will be mixed and mastered for free by Peterborough native Greg Wells, now a Grammy award-winning record producer musician in Los Angeles. (Photo: Greg Wells / Instagram)
The winning songs by Emily Burgess, The Colton Sisters, and The Marshas will be mixed and mastered for free by Peterborough native Greg Wells, now a Grammy award-winning record producer musician in Los Angeles. (Photo: Greg Wells / Instagram)

“Peterborough wants to write songs and wants to have them heard,” says Crown, adding the response “far exceeded our expectations but in an entirely good way.”

Through January, board members listened to each entry on their own, made notes and, by group email discussion, reached a “pretty much unanimous” decision on the winning track, which was then forwarded to Wells for a listen.

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“I sent Greg the one we agreed on but I also sent him another one (that scored high) and asked ‘Who do you want to work on here?’ and he said ‘I want to work on both of them,'” says Crown.

“The two songs sent to him were stylistically similar. Greg got back to me and asked ‘Is there something else you heard that’s completely not like what these two other artists are doing?’ That’s when I sent him a third track.”

The end result is Wells will put his talents to work on three songs — one of which is so well recorded that it will go directly to him for a remix while the other two will be recorded by McKenty before heading off to Wells.

VIDEO: “Make It” performed by The Colton Sisters

The winning entries are as follows:

  • “I Didn’t Mean It” by Emily Burgess (co-written with Ryan Weber).
  • “Make It” by The Colton Sisters (written by Martha Colton and performed by Mary and Martha Colton).
  • “Eye Of The Storm” by The Marshas.

Once mixed and mastered by Wells, all three songs will remain the property of the selected artists.

Speaking to the response to the call for submissions, Crown says the ongoing pandemic may have played a part.

“A lot of times when you’re creating art, it’s a response to emotional things that you’re going through,” he reflects. “Given the nature of the lockdown and how it’s affecting how people feel, that opens the tap for creativity because things aren’t normal right now.”

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And then there was the diversity of the entries, with the music genres running the gamut from punk to country to rock to folk to electronica.

“One guy, who isn’t a singer and doesn’t play an instrument, spoke his lyrics in the rhythm he wanted us to hear it in,” says Crown, admitting the adjudication process was a challenge.

“The one thing I realized early on is I had to set aside any sort of leanings I had towards stylistic preference. I’m a pretty diverse listener. I had to look at it in terms of ‘What is interesting to me about this particular song?'”

Greg Wells (second from left) won a Grammy Award in 2019 for his production work on the soundtrack to the film "The Greatest Showman", the best-selling album globally in 2018. (Screenshot via gregwells.net)
Greg Wells (second from left) won a Grammy Award in 2019 for his production work on the soundtrack to the film “The Greatest Showman”, the best-selling album globally in 2018. (Screenshot via gregwells.net)

“It could be something in the lyrics or, chord wise, there could be movement going on that piqued my interest,” Crown adds. “For me it was about finding something that’s fresh and interesting.”

“If it had been a board made up of five other people, it could have been a completely different result. This (the result) isn’t us saying ‘This is good and everything else isn’t good.'”

As for the winning submissions, Crown says Burgess’ acoustic guitar-accompanied song “could go any number of ways depending on how it’s treated”, while The Colton Sisters’ song “is just a really pretty piece of music to listen to … beautifully harmonized.”

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While those two songs, says Crown, are “stylistically similar”, The Marshas’ entry, which is headed directly to Wells, “is absolutely” not in the same vein.

“It kind of reminded me of my early musical adventures … guys that get together, turn it up really loud, and punk-rock out for three minutes. It’s pretty rowdy. The demo they sent in was really guitar forward. It had a really menacing quality, super fun to listen to.”

The next submission round for the Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective will start soon, Crown says, coinciding with the launch of a Rob Wilkes-designed website dedicated to the project.

It’s up now for viewing at www.donskuce.com, but will be populated soon with much more information including the bios of winning artists, samples of the winning songs, and contest rules.

The winner or winners of round two will be announced June 1st.

Emily Burgess and Ryan Weber, who co-wrote the winning song "I Didn't Mean It", performing at the Hootenanny on Hunter Street in August 2015. (Photo: Linda McIlwain / kawarthaNOW)
Emily Burgess and Ryan Weber, who co-wrote the winning song “I Didn’t Mean It”, performing at the Hootenanny on Hunter Street in August 2015. (Photo: Linda McIlwain / kawarthaNOW)

Moving forward, only song entries entered through the website as MP3s or M4As will be judged. That will make it easier for the judges, says Crown.

“We spent half our time trying to gather everything and put it in one place. It was pretty clumsy.”

Crown adds that those who submitted a song for the first round are welcome to re-submit, but it counts as their one allowed submission for the round — a change from the first round when entrants were allowed to submit up to three songs.

One thing that won’t be available on the new website for listening are the songs submitted to the contest.

“When you create art, it’s kind of like showing up at kindergarten and realizing you left your pants at home,” says Crown, referencing the reasoning behind that decision. “It’s pretty exposed.”

Don Skuce at the now-closed Moondance Music in February 2018. He passed away in June 2018 at the age of 66 after a long battle with an incurable cancer. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
Don Skuce at the now-closed Moondance Music in February 2018. He passed away in June 2018 at the age of 66 after a long battle with an incurable cancer. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)

Like Wells, Crown is determined to ensure the project doesn’t lose sight of its intended focus: to honour Skuce by recognizing his immense contributions to, and influence on, the local live music community over so many years.

“(Ed’s Music Workshop) was like an old-style mid 20th century barber shop,” Crown recalls.

“Any time I would go there, it wasn’t just people looking at guitars and amps. Most times it was people sitting on stools playing guitars and talking, maybe not even about anything musical. It could have been politics, it could have been the weather, it could have been stupid jokes. Ed’s was a cultural hub.”

“By doing what we’re doing here, it’s similar in that anybody with a connection to Peterborough or Don can jump on board and be involved. That’s pretty great.”

For updates on the Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective, visit www.donskuce.com.

Ontario reports 1,848 new COVID-19 cases and 43 deaths

By kawarthaNOW -

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

Ontario is reporting 1,848 new cases today, including 1 more case of the UK variant, with the seven-day average of daily cases across the province decreasing today by 81 to 1,887.

Today’s total includes around 300 previous cases Toronto Public Health is reporting due to a data catch-up. Excluding these cases, today’s actual case count is around 1,548.

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are no new cases to report in Hastings Prince Edward. Numbers for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton are unavailable today.

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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (726), Peel (306), and York (168).

There are double-digit increases in Niagara (87), Ottawa (55), Durham (55), Windsor-Essex (53), Simcoe Muskoka (52), Hamilton (49), Waterloo (48), Halton (47), Chatham-Kent (34), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (30), Eastern Ontario (19), Huron Perth (15), Thunder Bay (13), North Bay Parry Sound (10), Porcupine (10), and Middlesex-London (10), with smaller increases in Sudbury (9), Lambton (9), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (8), and Southwestern (8).

The remaining 11 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.

Of today’s new cases, 51% are among people 40 and older, with the highest number of cases (673) among people ages 20-39, followed by 548 cases among people ages 40-59 and 271 cases among people ages 60-79.

With 2,313 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 90.5%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.4% to 3.7%, meaning that 37 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 30.

Ontario is reporting 43 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 21 in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 55 new daily deaths over the past 7 days.

Hospitalizations have decreased by 114 from yesterday to 1,159, but this number may be under-reported as more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has increased by 3 to 356, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 36 to 252.

A total of 49,352 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 15,847 to 15,616.

A total of 339,644 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 2,816 from yesterday, with 68,849 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,062 from yesterday.

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In the greater Kawarthas region, only Hastings Prince Edward Public Health is providing updates today. Numbers for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton will be available on February 1.

There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward today, with 1 additional resolved case.

There are currently 112 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 1 from yesterday, including 48 in Peterborough, 47 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, 1 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Belleville), and 2 in Haliburton.

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 544 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (488 resolved with 8 deaths), 433 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (358 resolved with 41 deaths), 369 in Northumberland County (347 resolved with 8 deaths), 48 in Haliburton County (46 resolved with no deaths), and 366 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (360 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Kawartha Lakes on January 30.

The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).

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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. Numbers for Peterborough are unavailable on January 31; these numbers are for January 30.

Confirmed positive: 544 (increase of 6)
Active cases: 48 (increase of 1)
Close contacts: 75 (no change)
Deaths: 8 (no change)
Resolved: 488 (increase of 5)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 23 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 41,500 (increase of 50)
Outbreaks: The Regency retirement home in Lakefield, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Peterborough Retirement Residence (no change)

*As of January 29, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 13 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and 12 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive.

 

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 statutory holidays. These numbers are for January 30.

Confirmed positive: 850, including 433 in Kawartha Lakes, 369 in Northumberland, and 48 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)*
Active cases: 63, including 47 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (increase of 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)
Probable cases: 6, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland (decrease of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)
High-risk contacts: 130, including 64 in Kawartha Lakes, 46 in Northumberland, and 13 in Haliburton (net increase of 4)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 33, including 23 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)***
Deaths (including among probable cases): 49, including 41 in Kawartha Lakes and 8 in Northumberland (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)
Resolved: 751, including 358 in Kawartha Lakes, 347 in Northumberland, 46 in Haliburton (increase of 11, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton)
Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg, Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth, Caressant Care retirement home in Lindsay (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.

**This total includes an additional 7 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.

***As of January 29, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

 

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, excluding statutory holidays.

Confirmed positive: 366 (no change)
Active cases: 1 (decrease of 1)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 360 (increase of 1)
Tests completed: 46,512 (increase of 3,825)
Vaccines administered: 723 (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: Trent Valley Lodge long-term care home in Trenton (no change)

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Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 268,211 (increase of 1,848)*
7-day average of new cases:: 1,887 (decrease of 81)
Resolved: 242,807 (increase of 2,313, 90.5% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 3.7% (increase of 0.4%)
Hospitalized: 1,159 (decrease of 114)**
Hospitalized and in ICU: 356 (increase of 3)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 252 (increase of 36)
Deaths: 6,188 (increase of 43)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,595 (increase of 21)
Total tests completed: 9,673,517 (increase of 49,352)
Tests under investigation: 15,616 (decrease of 15,847)
Vaccination doses administered: 339,644 (increase of 2,816)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 68,849 (increase of 1,062)
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 58 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 1)

*This total includes around 300 previous cases Toronto Public Health is reporting today due to a data catch-up. Excluding these cases, today’s actual case count is around 1,548.

**This total may be under-reported as more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report.

COVID-19 cases in Ontario from December 31, 2020 - January 30, 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 December 31, 2020 – January 30, 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 December 31, 2020 - January 30, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from December 31, 2020 – January 30, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, 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 December 31, 2020 - January 30, 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 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 December 31, 2020 – January 30, 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 is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from December 31, 2020 - January 30, 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 December 31, 2020 – January 30, 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)

 

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

Increases to Peterborough transit fares and municipal parking fees take effect January 31

By kawarthaNOW -
Effective January 31, 2021, the cost of cash fares and passes on Peterborough Transit increases, as well as the cost of parking on-street and in municipal lots. (Photo: City of Peterborough)

Fares for Peterborough Transit and fees for municipal parking increase on Sunday (January 31).

The increases were included in the City of Peterborough’s 2021 budget, which was approved by city council on December 14th.

The cash fare for transit rises by 25 cents to $2.75. The cost of a 30-day pass for adults increases by $6 to $66, with 30-day passes for students and for seniors and children each increasing by $5 to to $60 and $45 respectively.

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The cost of a 10-ride pass rises by $3 to $25, with a family day pass increasing by $2 to $10. A six-month pass for seniors increases by $25 to $150, with a seniors’ annual pass increasing by $30 to $250.

The cost of a TransCab fare rises by $1 to $4.

The hourly rate for metered on-street parking and for most municipal parking lots increases by 25 cents to $1.50.

For the Hospital Drive parking lot, the 30-minute rate increases by 25 cents to 75 cents.

For the King Street Parkade and the Simcoe Street Garage, the hourly rate increases by 25 cents to $1.75. The cost of a monthly pass for both lots increases by $10, to $100 for the King Street Parkade and $85 for the Simcoe Street Garage.

The cost for a monthly pass at the Rehill parking lot increases by $4 to $46.

Ontario reports 2,063 new COVID-19 cases and 73 new deaths, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes

By kawarthaNOW -

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

Ontario is reporting 2,063 new cases today, including 6 more cases of the more contagious UK variant, with the seven-day average of daily cases across the province decreasing today by 43 to 1,968.

This total includes 230 cases Toronto Public Health is reporting from a previous date due to technical issues. Excluding these cases, today’s actual case count is 1,833.

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 16 new cases to report and 19 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region remaining unchanged at 113. There has been 1 new COVID-19 death in Kawartha Lakes.

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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (713), Peel (379), and York (178).

There are double-digit increases in Durham (89), Hamilton (88), Ottawa (82), Niagara (79), Waterloo (71), Halton (55), Simcoe Muskoka (52), Middlesex-London (41), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (34), Windsor-Essex (32), Thunder Bay (31), Eastern Ontario (28), Sudbury (14), Porcupine (11), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (11), and Lambton (10), with smaller increases in North Bay Parry Sound (8), Algoma (7), Southwestern (7), Brant (7), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (6), and Grey Bruce (6).

The remaining 9 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 1 health unit (Hastings Prince Edward) reporting no new cases at all.

Of today’s new cases, 52% are among people 40 and older, with the highest number of cases (745) among people ages 20-39, followed by 636 cases among people ages 40-59 and 291 cases among people ages 60-79.

With 2,623 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.3% to 90.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario remains unchanged 3.3%, meaning that 33 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 29.

Ontario is reporting 73 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 24 in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 56 new daily deaths over the past 7 days.

Hospitalizations have decreased by 18 from yesterday to 1,273, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 7 to 353, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 55 to 216. A total of 59,594 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 8,990 to 31,463.

A total of 336,828 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 9,373 from yesterday, with 67,787 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 6,108 from yesterday.

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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 16 new cases to report, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Peterborough, and 1 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward or Haliburton.

There has been 1 new COVID-19 death in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes.

An additional 19 cases have been resolved, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 5 in Peterborough, 3 in Haliburton, 3 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Northumberland.

There are currently 113 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region (no net change from yesterday), including 48 in Peterborough, 47 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West and 1 in Belleville), and 2 in Haliburton.

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 544 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (488 resolved with 8 deaths), 433 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (358 resolved with 41 deaths), 369 in Northumberland County (347 resolved with 8 deaths), 48 in Haliburton County (46 resolved with no deaths), and 366 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (359 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Kawartha Lakes on January 30.

The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).

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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: 544 (increase of 6)
Active cases: 48 (increase of 1)
Close contacts: 75 (no change)
Deaths: 8 (no change)
Resolved: 488 (increase of 5)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 23 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 41,500 (increase of 50)
Outbreaks: The Regency retirement home in Lakefield, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Peterborough Retirement Residence (no change)

*As of January 29, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 13 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and 12 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive.

 

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 statutory holidays.

Confirmed positive: 850, including 433 in Kawartha Lakes, 369 in Northumberland, and 48 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)*
Active cases: 63, including 47 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (increase of 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)
Probable cases: 6, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland (decrease of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)
High-risk contacts: 130, including 64 in Kawartha Lakes, 46 in Northumberland, and 13 in Haliburton (net increase of 4)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 33, including 23 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)***
Deaths (including among probable cases): 49, including 41 in Kawartha Lakes and 8 in Northumberland (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)
Resolved: 751, including 358 in Kawartha Lakes, 347 in Northumberland, 46 in Haliburton (increase of 11, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton)
Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg, Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth, Caressant Care retirement home in Lindsay (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.

**This total includes an additional 7 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.

***As of January 29, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

 

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, excluding statutory holidays.

Confirmed positive: 366 (no change)
Active cases: 2 (decrease of 3)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 1 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 359 (increase of 3)
Tests completed: 42,687 (no change)
Vaccines administered: 723 (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: Trent Valley Lodge long-term care home in Trenton (no change)

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Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 266,363 (increase of 2,063)*
7-day average of new cases:: 1,968 (decrease of 43)
Resolved: 240,494 (increase of 2,623, 90.3% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 3.3% (no change)
Hospitalized: 1,273 (decrease of 18)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 353 (decrease of 7)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 216 (decrease of 55)
Deaths: 6,145 (increase of 73)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,574 (increase of 24)
Total tests completed: 9,624,165 (increase of 59,594)
Tests under investigation: 31,463 (decrease of 8,990)
Vaccination doses administered: 336,828 (increase of 9,373)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 67,787 (increase of 6,108)
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 57 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 6)

*This total includes 230 cases Toronto Public Health is reporting from a previous date due to technical issues. Excluding these cases, today’s actual case count is 1,833.

COVID-19 cases in Ontario from December 30, 2020 - January 29, 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 December 30, 2020 – January 29, 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 December 30, 2020 - January 29, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from December 30, 2020 – January 29, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, 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 December 30, 2020 - January 29, 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 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 December 30, 2020 – January 29, 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 is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from December 30, 2020 - January 29, 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 December 30, 2020 – January 29, 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)

 

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

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