Peterborough Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Brock Mission, with the first positive case ever detected in the city’s emergency shelter system.
When the health unit confirmed the positive test, the infected person was already self-isolating away from the shelter’s congregate setting, which is temporarily located in an auditorium at 114 Murray Street while the new Brock Mission is being built.
According to a media release issued by the health unit on Wednesday (March 17), it is unknown whether the person is infected with a COVID-19 variant of concern, as the positive sample did not have sufficient virus to be screened for a variant strain.
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High-risk contacts of the infected person will be isolated and tested, the health unit states, with Peterborough Paramedics beginning surveillance testing on Wednesday.
Shelter staff have begun implementing additional public health measures, including enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of common areas and high-touch surfaces.
According to Ontario Ministry of Health guidelines, a single case in congregate living setting constitutes an outbreak.
Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region is now accepting applications for their soon-to-be-completed condo development at 33 Leahy's Lane in Peterborough. The Leahy's Lane condos will provide 41 individuals, couples, seniors, or families the opportunity for affordable homeownership. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region is now accepting applications from families, seniors, singles, and couples for affordable homeownership opportunities. The opportunities arise from their soon-to-be-completed project — a 41-unit condo building at 33 Leahy’s Lane in Peterborough.
This project, the first of its kind for Habitat for Humanity across Canada, could not come at a more urgent time. Locally, housing prices have dramatically increased, making decent and affordable homeownership out of reach for may.
“The increased demand due to the 407 extension, the lack of available land, and increases in prices in larger surrounding markets have all had dramatic effects on home prices locally,” says Christina Skuce, director of philanthropy and communications for Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region.
An architectural rendering of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region’s Leahy’s Lane development, which adds multi-residential housing to the non-profit organization’s usual practice of building affordable semi-detached and fully detached homes. Currently under construction, the 41-unit condo development in Peterborough is the local organization’s largest build to date and will serve as a model that can be rolled out to other Habitats across the country. (Rendering courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
“There are people who have been saving or working to pay off debt for years, but they can’t get a down payment because the housing prices are skyrocketing locally,” Skuce adds. “They’re stuck in a cycle of paying rent and not building any equity.”
Operating across Peterborough and the Kawartha region and into Haliburton Highlands, Habitat for Humanity has helped 42 local families into safe, decent, and affordable homeownership since 2002. Habitat’s mission is to bridge a gap for low-income working families and individuals by providing an opportunity to pay an affordable mortgage geared to their income.
The Leahy’s Lane condos will give an additional 41 families and individuals a hand-up to purchase their own homes.
“Our previous efforts to build semi-detached or fully detached homes were great, but building four or five homes a year would not make enough of an impact for the affordable housing crisis that’s going on right now,” Skuce notes. “With this condo development, we can help 41 families and individuals to move into the condo early next year.”
Each unit in the Leahy’s Lane condo development will include appliances such as a fridge, stove, dishwasher, and washer-dryer. The building will also have a social room and basement storage units will be available. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
The Leahy’s Lane condos will be a mixture of one, two, and three bedroom units. For the first time ever, Habitat for Humanity is offering homeownership opportunities beyond families. Singles, couples, and seniors are also eligible for these condos. The building is three storeys with an elevator and universal design, meaning it also provides an opportunity for accessible housing in the community.
Each unit includes a fridge, stove, dishwasher, and washer-dryer. There will be a social room, and basement storage units are available. Additionally, the condo is an energy-efficient new build, which will help homeowners save on utility costs.
The building’s location on Leahy’s Lane is perfect for families since there is a park right down the street, and Nicholls Oval Park is only a short walk away. The building is also situated near schools, public transit, and playgrounds.
Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to bring communities together to help families and individuals build strength, stability, and self reliance through affordable homeownership. The families and individuals who partner with Habitat pay an affordable mortgage geared to their income, with no down payment. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
What makes Habitat for Humanity’s program affordable is that there is no down payment needed to get into homeownership. Mortgage payments are also capped at no more than a maximum of 30 per cent of the homeowner’s gross income.
“That includes your mortgage payment, your property taxes, and your condo fees,” Skuce explains.
“One hundred per cent of the funds from homeowner mortgage payments go into what’s called a ‘fund for humanity’ — which goes into paying for affordable housing throughout the community,” she adds.
To qualify for one of the units, you must have an annual household income between $30,000 to $80,000 and have an affordable housing need.
Skuce encourages those interested in the homeownership opportunity at Leahy’s Lane to sign up for a virtual info session by visiting www.habitatpkr.ca/community/events/.
For those interested in applying for homeownership at 33 Leahy’s Lane in Peterborough, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region is offering virtual info sessions almost every other week through their website. From the comfort of your own home, you can learn more about the opportunity and ask questions. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
From the comfort of your home, you can learn more about the opportunity and have the chance to talk directly with the Habitat team, who then guide you through the application process. These sessions run just about every other week and are about a half-hour in length.
“We really encourage people not to miss out on this opportunity to get into affordable homeownership,” urges Skuce. “A decent place to live and an affordable loan help homeowners to save more. It’s a chance to invest in education, pursue opportunities, and have more financial stability and flexibility.”
While other Habitat affiliates have completed similar condo projects, this particular model will be the first of its kind for Habitat for Humanity in Canada. According to Skuce, it will be an example that will be rolled out to other Habitat locations across the country when it is completed.
Although construction was delayed due to COVID-19, the Leahy’s Lane condo development is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2021, for residents to move in at the beginning of 2022. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
The building’s construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 for homeowners to move in at the beginning of 2022. Although COVID-19 delayed the start date in the summer, Skuce says construction is still on schedule.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have some phenomenal construction partners,” says Skuce. “They’ve stepped up in a big way and made this project a priority so that we could stay on schedule and get it done safely. We are following all of the protocols that are put in place by public health.”
The way Habitat acquired the Leahy’s Lane property is an additional reason the project has moved along quickly.
A floor plan for a two-bedroom unit at Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region’s Leahy’s Lane affordable housing development in Peterborough. The 41-unit condo development will have a mix of one, two, and three bedroom units for individuals, couples, seniors, and families. (Graphic courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
“We were approached by a developer who had a piece of property that had already gone through plans with the city,” Skuce explains. “They had planned to build high-end luxury condos but decided that’s not the route they wanted to go anymore.”
“So they came to Habitat to see if we were interested in the property. That was fantastic for us because this was a property that was essentially shovel ready.”
Skuce says they had to make some changes to the developer’s interior plans for the condos, but the build was essentially ready to start construction right away.
“One of the biggest challenges for us and so many others in the community is trying to find affordable land to build housing,” says Skuce. “We’re always looking for more land and more opportunities to build affordable housing.”
VIDEO: Habitat Homeownership – Leahy’s Lane Condos in Peterborough
To support Habitat for Humanity and future projects like this one, anyone with a property that Habitat could use to build affordable housing is encouraged to reach out to the Habitat team by emailing info@habitatpkr.ca or phoning 705-750-1456.
For those who want to support the building of the Leahy’s Lane condos and more affordable homes in the community, donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region through their website at www.habitatpkr.ca/donations/.
You can also support Habitat through their ReStores — non-profit home improvement and building supply stores. Habitat ReStores pay for 100 per cent of their operating costs, operating costs, so any cash donations will 100 per cent go into the building of affordable homes.
Like many other local businesses, extended closures due to COVID-19 have had drastic impacts on the Habitat ReStores, which comprise a significant fundraising stream for the organization.
If you want to help Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region make homeownership affordable for more people, you can make a donation through their website or by donating to and purchasing items from their ReStores — non-profit home improvement and building supply stores. Habitat ReStores pay for 100 per cent of their operating costs, operating costs, so any cash donations will 100 per cent go into the building of affordable homes. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
“We encourage people to shop at or to donate their furniture, appliances, lighting, clothing, and more, at our Habitat ReStores in Peterborough or Lindsay,” Skuce says. “We are very thankful the Habitat ReStores are able to be open again with the new public health measures that are in effect.”
As for future projects, Skuce says Habitat is currently looking for a property for another local condo development.
“We have a couple of opportunities we’re pursuing at the moment, but we are still planning to build detached and semi-detached homes,” says Skuce. “That part of our build program has not gone away.”
For more information about Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region, the Leahy’s Lane condos, and the Habitat ReStores, visit www.habitatpkr.ca. You can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
This story was created in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region.
With the help of his long-time friend and fellow musician Shane Davey (top right), Sean Daniels (top left) has created "Virtually Peterborough", a new virtual venue that allows musicians to rehearse and perform ensemble music live, in real time and without lag, as long as they have a high-speed internet connection. (Photo courtesy of Sean Daniels)
While online video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams have revolutionized labour during the pandemic, these platforms are simply not conducive for ensemble music rehearsal and performance.
“It’s impossible,” says Sean Daniels, the creator and founder of Virtually Peterborough, a new virtual venue that allows musicians to rehearse and perform ensemble music live — in real time and without lag.
“Zoom does the trick for most of us, but for music — or anything involving rhythm, for instance — it just won’t work if there’s a two-second delay between users.”
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Sean Daniels has a unique skill set to solve the problem of network latency or lag, which is precisely what the musician, videographer, and IT professional has done creating the area’s first and only virtual venue.
Latency refers to the delay between an packet (a segment of data) being sent and received online. Higher latency values will result in noticeable delays.
“When you make a sound, it has to turn into a digital signal,” explains Daniels. “Then it has to travel across the internet to the server, then it has to get mixed in with the other musicians’ sounds, then it has to travel back to you, and then it has to get turned from data back into sound that you can hear in your headphones.”
Real-time jamming
Those video performances that have become popular during the pandemic — of multiple musicians singing or performing together — aren’t recorded in real time. Because of latency, each musician instead records their own individual segment against one or more prerecorded segments by other musicians, and then all the segments are edited and synched together in post production. By addressing the issue of latency, ‘Virtually Peterborough’ provides a way for musicians to perform and record together in real time.
“That period of time can be way too big for us to play in time together, or to even feel like we are playing together,” he continues. “Twenty-five to 34 milliseconds is manageable. Once you start to get over 50 milliseconds, you hear that lag too much. It just kind of pulls you back slowly because you’re trying to play with everybody else, but they sound like they’re playing slower than you all the time and so everything just keeps slowing down.”
For Virtually Peterborough, Daniels enlisted the help of his long-time friend and fellow musician, Shane Davey. Together, using Daniel’s own virtual server located in Toronto, the pair began testing various free open-source software and audio interfaces.
“We just wanted to see if we could actually do this,” recalls Daniels of the process.
“During one test, Shane counted me in on something, and I didn’t really even think about it. He just started playing on bass and I started playing on my keyboard. About 10 of 14 seconds went by and he stopped. He looked up at the camera and said, ‘Dude, dude, dude, I just counted you in!'”
“We both realized it works — we could do this,” says Daniels of the eureka moment.
Sean Daniels began building his own version of the tiny, affordable Raspberry Pi computers, which he’s named a “Raspberry Jam.” Using the Linux operating system, Daniels’ Raspberry Jams have built-in audio interfaces and the open-source software, Jamulus, for low-latency remote ensemble music. (Photo courtesy of Sean Daniels)
Daniels had successfully reduced the lag for musicians playing online. He was certain that his idea for a virtual venue could work. However, he also wanted to make Virtually Peterborough accessible for as many musicians as possible.
“The challenge, then, was for the people who have instruments and everything they need at home, except they don’t have a computer and an audio interface, or they don’t understand how to use the computer they’ve got,” says Daniels.
“Even if I could get them an audio interface, then the challenge would be how to use it and how to use this software,” he adds. “That’s when I went down the Raspberry Pi rabbit hole.”
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Daniels began building his own version of the tiny, affordable Raspberry Pi computers, which he’s named a “Raspberry Jam.” Using the Linux operating system, Daniels’ Raspberry Jams have built-in audio interfaces and the open-source software, Jamulus, for low-latency remote ensemble music.
Daniels’ “Raspberry Jam” computers are incredibly user friendly.
“The beauty of this thing is that, if you’re connecting to my server, if you’re connecting to the Virtually Peterborough studio, then you take it home, you plug it into your internet and your audio, and you power it up,” he explains. “Forty-five seconds later, you hear us in your headphones, and we hear you on the system. So, there’s nothing for people to do.”
“The goal was zero touch,” he adds. “Can I hand this to someone at their front door — not go in the house, not give them any more help — and have them go inside, plug it in and connect to us, and just be able to use what they’re sending us to make a show? I’m 95 per cent sure the answer is yes.”
VIDEO: “Virtually Peterborough” – Playing music online with others live
Now, all Sean Daniels’ virtual venue needs is an audience.
The plan is to eventually use Virtually Peterborough to resume the monthly Deluxe Blues Jams, which were previously hosted at Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews in downtown Peterborough to raise funds for the Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association (PMBA).
“They’ve been doing so much for everybody, for so long — all through this pandemic,” Daniels says of the PMBA. “And I know that the coffers must be starting to get low, because they’re making regular payments to people in need. The Blues Jams helped fundraise a lot of that money.”
If you’re a musician and you’d like to get involved, visit jamulus.io to download the Jamulus software (it’s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux).
Sean Daniels’ plan is to eventually use Virtually Peterborough to resume the monthly Deluxe Blues Jams, which were previously hosted at Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews in downtown Peterborough to raise funds for the Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association. (Photo courtesy of Sean Daniels).
But first, there’s one thing even a tech-genius like Sean Daniels can’t get around: playing in the virtual venue requires wired internet connection (not Wi-Fi) with high-speed internet. To test your internet connection, go to syncspace.live/network/ and follow the simple directions on the page.
If you’re a music-lover who wants to support this amazing initiative, you can donate to the PMBA and receive a charitable tax receipt through the Rotary Club Foundation of Peterborough. Your donation will help get more Raspberry Jam computers into the hands of more of your favourite musicians!
To support the PMBA, visit the Rotary Clubs of Peterborough Foundation Inc. on their Canada Helps page at canadahelps.org/en/charities/rotary-club-of-peterborough-foundation-inc/. Next, click on the drop and select “Kawartha Rotary supports Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association/Covid hurts”.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 1,074 new cases — the lowest daily increase since March 5 when 990 cases were reported. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased by 16 to 1,334.
Today’s new cases include 25 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, for a total of 1,131, and 2 more cases of the B.1.351 South Africa variant, for a total of 46. The R(t) value for variants of concern — the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population — has decreased by 0.03 to 1.38.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 13 new cases to report and an additional 16 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 2 to 97. See below for details for each health unit in the region.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (313), Peel (199), and York (101).
There are double-digit increases in Ottawa (66), Hamilton (66), Windsor-Essex (35), Lambton (31), Waterloo (31), Thunder Bay (29), Durham (27), Halton (27), Brant (21), Niagara (21), Middlesex-London (16), Simcoe Muskoka (15), Southwestern (12), and Eastern Ontario (10), with smaller increases in Sudbury (9), Chatham-Kent (9), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (7), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (7), and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (7).
The remaining 12 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 4 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 59% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (417) among people ages 20-39 followed by 294 cases among people ages 40-59 and 214 cases among people 19 and younger.
With 1,085 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to 93.9%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.7% from yesterday to 4.5%, meaning that 45 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 15.
Ontario is reporting 11 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 1 in a long-term care home. Ontario has averaged 13 new daily deaths over the past week, an increase of 1 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have increased by 62 from yesterday to 761, the highest number of hospitalizations since February 13 when 786 were reported. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has decreased by 6 from yesterday to 292, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 7 to 194.
A total of 28,526 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 16,494 to 27,448.
A total of 1,243,132 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 51,579 from yesterday, with 288,918 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,635 from yesterday, representing 1.96% of Ontario’s population.
There are 367 new cases in Ontario schools, an increase of 257 from yesterday, including 301 student cases and 60 staff cases. There are 48 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 16 from yesterday, with 31 cases among children and 17 cases among staff. Note: cases reported on Tuesdays include the total number of cases reported from Friday afternoon to Monday afternoon.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 13 new cases to report, including 10 in Peterborough and 3 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward for the third day in a row, and no new cases in Kawartha Lakes or Haliburton.
There has been 1 new COVID-related death. A 30-year-old student hospitalized in Toronto as a result of the outbreak at Severn Court Student Residence in Peterborough passed away on March 15.
An outbreak at an unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough was declared on March 16. An outbreak at St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in Cobourg was declared on March 14.
There are 9 new regional cases of presumed variants of concern, including 5 in Peterborough, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton.
An additional 16 cases have been resolved, including 8 in Peterborough, 4 in Hastings Prince Edward, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes.
There are currently 97 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 2 from yesterday, including 56 in Peterborough, 17 in Northumberland, 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Hastings Prince Edward (2 in Quinte West, 2 in Belleville, 2 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and 1 in North Hastings), and 7 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 778 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (712 resolved with 10 deaths), 558 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (507 resolved with 55 deaths), 471 in Northumberland County (442 resolved with 12 deaths), 58 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with 1 death), and 439 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (425 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on March 16.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 778 (increase of 10) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change) Presumed variants of concern cases: 126 (increase of 5) Active cases: 56 (increase of 1) Close contacts: 144 (increase of 12) Deaths: 10 (increase of 1)* Resolved: 712 (increase of 8) Hospitalizations (total to date): 27 (no change)** Total tests completed: Over 45,100 (increase of 50) Outbreaks: Severn Court Student Residence, Trent Champlain College residence, unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough (increase of 1)** Vaccine doses administered: 10,320 (no change, last updated March 11)
*A 30-year-old student hospitalized as a result of the outbreak at Severn Court Student Residence passed away on March 15.
**As of March 16, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 19 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**An outbreak at an unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough was declared on March 16.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,087, including 558 in Kawartha Lakes, 471 in Northumberland, and 58 in Haliburton (increase of 3 in Northumberland)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 32, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 26 in Northumberland, 1 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 3 in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton)** Active cases: 33, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 7 in Haliburton (net decrease of 1) Probable cases: 1 in Kawartha Lakes (no change) High-risk contacts: 260, including 146 in Kawartha Lakes, 72 in Northumberland, and 10 in Haliburton (net increase of 26)*** Hospitalizations (total to date): 49, including 29 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)**** Deaths (including among probable cases): 68, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 999, including 507 in Kawartha Lakes, 442 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 153,984 (increase of 1,101) Outbreaks: CrossFit Lindsay, Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden, St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in Cobourg (increase of 1)*****
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**The N501Y mutation has been identified in variants of concern including the B.1.1.7 UK variant, the B.1.351 South Africa variant, and the P.1 Brazilian variant.
***This total includes an additional 32 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of March 16, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
*****An outbreak at St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in Cobourg was declared on March 14.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 439 (no change) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 6 (no change) Active cases: 8 (decrease of 4) Deaths: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 425 (increase of 4) Tests completed: 75,720 (increase of 20) Vaccine doses administered: 13,207 (increase of 699) Number of people fully vaccinated: 1,345 Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Belleville (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 320,448 (increase of 1,074) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 1,131 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 25); 46 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 2); 34 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change) VOC R(t): 1.38 (decrease of 0.03, as of March 12)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,334 (decrease of 16) Resolved: 300,769 (increase of 1,085), 93.9% of all cases (increase of 0.1%) Positivity rate: 4.5% (increase of 0.7%) Hospitalizations: 761 (increase of 62) Hospitalizations in ICU: 292 (decrease of 6) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 194 (increase of 7) Deaths: 7,173 (increase of 11) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 13 (increase of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,882 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 11,817,610 (increase of 28,526) Tests under investigation: 27,448 (increase of 16,494) Vaccination doses administered: 1,243,132 (increase of 51,579) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 288,918 (increase of 1,635), 1.96% of Ontario’s population (est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)
*R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specifc time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from February 13 – March 15, 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 February 13 – March 15, 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 February 13 – March 15, 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 February 13 – March 15, 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 February 13 – March 15, 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)
Severn Court Student Residence at 555 Wilfred Drive in Peterborough provides off-campus student housing primarily to Fleming College students, as well as students of Seneca College Aviation and Trent University. (Photo: Severn Court Management Company)
A student infected with COVID-19 in a recent outbreak at Severn Court Student Residence in Peterborough has died, according to Peterborough Public Health.
“The individual was a male in his 30s who lived at Severn Court Student Residence,” states a media release issued by the health unit on Tuesday (March 16). “He was diagnosed with a COVID-19 variant of concern and hospitalized outside the region last week before passing away yesterday.”
On March 17, CTV News identified the man as Zachary Root, an accounting student at Fleming College.
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The outbreak at Severn Court Student Residence at 555 Wilfred Drive in Peterborough was first declared on February 27. The outbreak, which was connected to at least one large gathering held at the privately owned student housing complex near Fleming College on February 20, is the largest to date in the Peterborough area.
“We acknowledge that the partygoers had no malicious intent toward my brother,” said Zachary Root’s brother Brandon in an email to CTV News. “There were students consistently knocking on his door throughout the night trying to get him to come and join in but he remained inside with the door locked.”
Root’s brother also told CTV News that Zachary did not participate in any of the parties, that he was fastidious about wearing a mask, practising physical distancing, and hand washing. He was also concerned about his fellow students not following public health measures.
“He cared about everyone being happy, safe and wanted to make sure he was doing what he could to protect others and stop the spread of COVID-19,” Root told CTV News. “He would want this event to reinforce the vital importance of our actions and adherence to public health guidelines.”
According to local medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra at a virtual media briefing last Thursday (March 11), the total number of positive cases associated with the outbreak had climbed to 56 students — including a student who was hospitalized.
In its media release confirming the death of the hospitalized student, Peterborough Public Health states there have now been 59 cases associated with the Severn Court outbreak, all of which have screened positive for a variant of concern. To date most cases have been resolved, and there are only five active cases that remain linked to the outbreak.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family, and know that this is a painful tragedy for our entire community,” Dr. Salvaterra said. “As the youngest person to die locally from COVID-19, it reminds us how serious this pandemic is, that youth are not immune from its worst outcomes, and that we all have a role to play in ending it to prevent future tragedies.”
Dr. Salvaterra acknowledged outrage many in the community are experiencing about the impact of the outbreak, which resulted in the Peterborough region being moved into the ‘Red-Control’ level of the province’s COVID-19 response framework, and encouraged residents to speak with those they know or seek professional supports and limiting time on social media.
“The need to express our feelings is very real,” she said. “However, I think engaging in forums like social media is not as healthy as talking with someone who you can truly relate to.”
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Fleming College president Maureen Adamson has issued a message of condolence on the student’s death.
“On behalf of the Fleming College community, I would like to express our deep sadness regarding the recent passing of a resident of Severn Court,” Adamson said. “We mourn the loss together with our community and share our heartfelt condolences with the family and friends of the deceased.”
Adamson added that flags at all Fleming College campuses will be flown at half-staff for the next two days in honour of the loss.
Counselling and support services are available to all members of the Fleming community. Students and employees can reach Counselling Services by calling 705-749-5530 x1296.
In addition, Webex drop-in counselling services are available on Wednesday (March 17) at 1 to 3 p.m. and on Friday (March 19) from 1 to 2 p.m. at flemingcollege.webex.com/meet/nancy.verduyn.
The original version of this story quoted a family member who publicly posted about the death on Reddit. As that family member has since deleted the posts and their Reddit account, kawarthaNOW has rewritten this story to exclude any of this material out of respect for the family.
The story has been updated to include the message of condolence from Fleming College and related information.
The story has been updated to include the report from CTV News.
If you live in Peterborough, Northumberland, Kawartha Lakes, or Haliburton and are unemployed, want to re-enter the workforce, or are trying to find a better job, the Workforce Development Board wants to hear from you.
By completing the Worker Impact Survey at workerimpactsurvey.com, you can share information about your employment challenges.
The Workforce Development Board — a not-for-profit organization located in Peterborough and funded by the provincial and federal governments to provide labour market information, coordinate employment and training services, and engage employer communities — will use the results of the survey to help to support local recommendations for training and skills development initiatives.
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The 10-minute survey, which is available until April 30th, is completely confidential. Responses will be used for statistical purposes and published in aggregate form only.
The results will be shared with community stakeholders to provide a better understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on the workforce and to increase awareness of the local labour supply, employment barriers for job seekers and those not participating in the labour force, and more.
The Workforce Development Board has joined with five other local workforce planning boards in eastern Ontario (Gananoque, Belleville, Cornwall, Ottawa, and Pembroke) who are also conducting the survey in their respective regions.
“The workforce planning boards of eastern Ontario are collaborating to better understand how workers have been affected by COVID-19, the obstacles workers face finding or keeping gainful employment, and the type of education and skills training supports that workers require across the region,” says Jennifer Lamantia, CEO of the Workforce Development Board.
“By sharing your insights and feedback, you are providing timely, relevant and local data that assists with the work that we can do together at a local level to develop employment-related initiatives.”
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In addition to the survey, each workforce planning board will host a focus group. The results of the survey and focus group will be shared in June with the final report publicly available in July.
As an added incentive, those who complete the survey and provide their email address will be eligible for a draw of one of five $100 prepaid VISA cards.
A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo: Lisa Ferdinando)
A by-appointment-only COVID-19 vaccination clinic opens at the Lindsay Exhibition on Thursday (March 18).
Operated by Ross Memorial Hospital with the support of the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit, the drive-through clinic at 354 Angeline Street South in Lindsay will be providing vaccinations only for people born in 1941 or earlier.
Vaccinations are by appointment only and must be booked through the provincial booking system at www.ontario.ca/bookvaccine or by calling 1-888-999-6488. Appointments are not available through local health care providers or the local public health unit.
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You must have an appointment to be vaccinated at the Lindsay Ex clinic. Anyone who arrives without an appointment will not receive a vaccination.
As the clinic is operating as a drive-through, people with appointments will remain in their vehicles for the duration of their appointment. There will be signage and hospital staff on-site to help with navigation.
Those with appointments are asked to arrive around 10 minutes prior to their appointment time to check in. They must bring their Ontario health card and should wear a loose and comfortable shirt.
Vaccinated people will be monitored in their vehicles for an additional 15 minutes (or 30 minutes if they have a history of allergic reactions).
Everyone in a vehicle must wear a mask covering their mouth and nose when interacting with staff at the clinic.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 1,268 new cases, with the seven-day average of daily cases decreasing by 51 to 1,350.
Today’s new cases include 70 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, for a total of 1,106. The R(t) value for variants of concern — the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population — has increased by 0.12 to 1.41.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 10 new cases to report and an additional 17 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 9 to 99. See below for details for each health unit in the region.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (366), Peel (220), and York (147).
There are double-digit increases in Hamilton (71), Thunder Bay (61), Ottawa (57), Durham (53), Halton (47), Sudbury (33), Simcoe Muskoka (33), Niagara (27), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District (19), Waterloo (18), Brant (17), Lambton (14), Eastern Ontario (13), and Windsor-Essex (10), with smaller increases in Northwestern (9), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (9), Middlesex-London (8), and Southwestern (8).
The remaining 13 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 4 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 59% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (494) among people ages 20-39 followed by 335 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,114 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 93.8%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.7% from yesterday to 3.8%, meaning that 38 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 14.
Ontario is reporting 9 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 3 in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 12 new daily deaths over the past week (no change from yesterday).
Hospitalizations have increased by 98 from yesterday to 699, but more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has increased by 16 from yesterday to 298, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 1 to 187.
A total of 33,975 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 7,540 to 10,954.
A total of 1,191,553 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 33,198 from yesterday, with 287,283 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,668 from yesterday, representing 1.95% of Ontario’s population.
There are 110 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 27 from March 12, including 91 student cases, 15 staff cases, and 4 cases among unidentified people. There are 32 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 12 from March 12, with 21 cases among children and 11 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 10 new cases to report, including 5 in Haliburton, 3 in Northumberland, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Peterborough. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward for the second day in a row.
There are 9 new regional cases of presumed variants of concern, including 5 in Peterborough, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward.
There is 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes.
An additional 17 cases have been resolved, including 8 in Peterborough, 5 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. An outbreak at Regency retirement home in Lakefield was declared resolved on March 15.
There are currently 99 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 9 from yesterday, including 55 in Peterborough, 17 in Northumberland, 12 in Hastings Prince Edward (3 in Quinte West, 4 in Belleville, 3 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and 1 in North Hastings), 10 in Kawartha Lakes, and 5 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 768 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (704 resolved with 9 deaths), 558 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (506 resolved with 55 deaths), 468 in Northumberland County (439 resolved with 12 deaths), 58 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with 1 death), and 439 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (421 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on March 12.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’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: 768 (increase of 1) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change) Presumed variants of concern cases: 121 (increase of 5) Active cases: 55 (decrease of 7) Close contacts: 132 (decrease of 9) Deaths: 9 (no change) Resolved: 704 (increase of 8) Hospitalizations (total to date): 27 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 45,050 (increase of 50) Outbreaks: Severn Court Student Residence, Trent Champlain College residence (decrease of 1)** Vaccine doses administered: 10,320 (no change, last updated March 11)
*As of March 15, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 19 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**An outbreak at Regency retirement home in Lakefield was declared resolved on March 15.
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 March 14 and 15.
Confirmed positive: 1,084, including 558 in Kawartha Lakes, 468 in Northumberland, and 58 in Haliburton (increase of 9, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 28, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 23 in Northumberland (increase of 3, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)** Active cases: 34, including 10 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 7 in Haliburton (net increase of 1) Probable cases: 1 in Kawartha Lakes (no change) High-risk contacts: 234, including 154 in Kawartha Lakes, 41 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)*** Hospitalizations (total to date): 49, including 29 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)**** Deaths (including among probable cases): 68, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 995, including 506 in Kawartha Lakes, 439 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 8, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 152,883 (increase of 467) Outbreaks: CrossFit Lindsay, Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden (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 35 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of March 15, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 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, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 439 (no change) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 6 (increase of 1) Active cases: 12 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 421 (increase of 1) Tests completed: 75,700 (increase of 309) Vaccine doses administered: 12,508 (increase of 354) Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Belleville (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 319,374 (increase of 1,268) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 1,106 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 70); 44 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (no change); 34 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change) VOC R(t): 1.41 (increase of 0.12, as of March 11)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,350 (decrease of 51) Resolved: 298,570 (increase of 1,114), 93.8% of all cases (decrease of 0.1%) Positivity rate: 3.8% (increase of 0.7%) Hospitalizations: 699 (increase of 98)** Hospitalizations in ICU: 298 (increase of 16) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 187 (increase of 1) Deaths: 7,162 (increase of 9) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 12 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,881 (increase of 3) Total tests completed: 11,789,084 (increase of 33,975) Tests under investigation: 10,954 (decrease of 7,540) Vaccination doses administered: 1,191,553 (increase of 33,198) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 287,283 (increase of 1,668), 1.95% of Ontario’s population (est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)
*R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
**More than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from February 12 – March 14, 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 February 12 – March 14, 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 February 12 – March 14, 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 February 12 – March 14, 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 February 12 – March 14, 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)
In summer 2019, Peterborough GreenUP's Depave Paradise program and the Downtown Vibrancy Project planted a new garden at Euphoria Wellness Spa in downtown Peterborough. When impermeable asphalt is replaced by greenspace, it allows for water infiltration, reduces flooding and runoff, and creates much more inviting space. (Photo courtesy of GreenUP)
Depave Paradise is looking to transform pavement into greenspace in Selwyn Township.
A joint project of Green Communities Canada and local partners, Depave Paradise sees volunteers working together to remove unwanted pavement and plant gardens filled with native species in its place.
Replacing pavement with greenspace can help mitigate flooding, by allowing water to soak into the soil rather than running over the top of hard surfaces.
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It also reduces pollution that can happen when stormwater washes into the water system. Gardens planted with native species also help pollinators while enhancing the natural beauty of a community.
In 2019, local Depave Paradise partner Peterborough GreenUP transformed five locations, including in downtown Peterborough, with most of the projects more than 100 square metres
Now, Depave Paradise is looking for a business or property owner in Selwyn Township who has a large impermeable asphalt or concrete surface in an area with lots of public traffic.
In 2015, Depave Paradise removed 205 square metres of asphalt at the corner of Lansdowne Street and Brealey Drive in Peterborough and replaced it with greenspace. (Photos courtesy of GreenUP)
The ideal site needs to have 100 square metres of asphalt or concrete that could be removed and replaced with greenspace. The site also space for disposal bins, temporary storage of plant materials and equipment, and access to washrooms (or space for a portable toilet).
While there is no cost to the business or property owner, in-kind contributions of volunteers and donations of materials are encouraged and the owner is asked to make a commitment to maintaining the site.
Along with the environmental and community benefits, a Depave Paradise project can also add value to a property.
If you are a business or property owner in Selwyn Township with a property that meets these requirements, email acurrier@selwyntownship.ca to submit your property for consideration.
Submissions should include the address, size, and photos of the property. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 26th.
Depave Paradise will serve as a demonstration site for Selwyn Township’s upcoming Water Wise program in partnership with GreenUP. The program will provide residents with resources to incorporate water-conscious landscape design on their properties.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 1,747 new cases, although the provincial government states today’s case count “may be higher than expected due to a data catch-up process” related to the provincial Case and Contact Management system.
With today’s cases, the seven-day average of daily cases has increased by 68 to 1,337. Today’s new cases include 12 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant (for a total of 1,036) and 1 more case of the B.1.351 South Africa variant (for a total of 44).
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 5 new cases to report and an additional 15 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 10 to 108. However, these numbers do not include Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton as the health unit does not issue updates on Sundays.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (545), Peel (352), and York (163).
There are double-digit increases in Hamilton (93), Ottawa (83), Durham (55), Simcoe Muskoka (50), Sudbury (49), Niagara (48), Waterloo (48), Thunder Bay (40), Lambton (38), Halton (38), Windsor-Essex (28), Brant (23), Middlesex-London (13), Haldimand-Norfolk (13), and Eastern Ontario (12), with smaller increases in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (9), Southwestern (8), Huron Perth (7), and Northwestern (6).
The remaining 12 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 2 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 55% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (624) among people ages 20-39 followed by 492 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,167 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 93.9%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.2% from yesterday to 3.1%, meaning that 31 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 13.
Ontario is reporting 15 new COVID-19 deaths today, with no new deaths in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 12 new daily deaths over the past week (no change from yesterday), but there have been only 2 new COVID-related deaths in long-term care homes over the past seven days.
Hospitalizations have decreased by 88 from yesterday to 601, but more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has increased by 7 from yesterday to 282, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 11 to 186.
A total of 47,618 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 11,262 to 18,494.
A total of 1,158,355 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 41,859 from yesterday, with 285,615 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 929 from yesterday, representing 1.94% of Ontario’s population.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 5 new cases to report in Peterborough. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward. Case information for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton is unavailable as the health unit does not issue updates on Sundays.
There are 4 new cases of presumed variants of concern in Peterborough, for a total of 116. However, only 1 case has been confirmed as a variant of concern.
An additional 15 cases have been resolved, including 14 in Peterborough and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 108 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 10 from yesterday, including 62 in Peterborough, 17 in Northumberland, 13 in Hastings Prince Edward (3 in Quinte West, 4 in Belleville, 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 3 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and 1 in North Hastings), 14 in Kawartha Lakes, and 2 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 767 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (696 resolved with 9 deaths), 557 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (501 resolved with 55 deaths), 465 in Northumberland County (436 resolved with 12 deaths), 53 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with 1 death), and 439 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (420 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on March 12.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’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: 767 (increase of 5) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change) Presumed variants of concern cases: 116 (increase of 4) Active cases: 62 (decrease of 9) Close contacts: 141 (decrease of 32) Deaths: 9 (no change) Resolved: 696 (increase of 14) Hospitalizations (total to date): 27 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 45,000 (increase of 200) Outbreaks: Severn Court Student Residence, Trent Champlain College residence, Regency retirement home in Lakefield (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 10,320 (no change, last updated March 11)
*As of March 12, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and 19 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 March 13.
Confirmed positive: 1,075, including 557 in Kawartha Lakes, 465 in Northumberland, and 53 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 25, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes and 22 in Northumberland (increase of 4 in Northumberland)** Active cases: 33, including 14 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (net decrease of 1) Probable cases: 1 in Kawartha Lakes (no change) High-risk contacts: 234, including 154 in Kawartha Lakes, 41 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (net decrease of 30)*** Hospitalizations (total to date): 48, including 28 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)**** Deaths (including among probable cases): 68, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 987, including 501 in Kawartha Lakes, 436 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 4 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 152,416 (increase of 579) Outbreaks: CrossFit Lindsay, Hyland Crest long-term care home in Haliburton (increase of 1)*****
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**The N501Y mutation has been identified in variants of concern including the B.1.1.7 UK variant, the B.1.351 South Africa variant, and the P.1 Brazilian variant.
***This total includes an additional 36 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of March 12, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports no patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
*****An outbreak was declared at Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden on March 12 based on a single case.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 439 (no change) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 5 (no change) Active cases: 13 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 420 (increase of 1) Tests completed: 75,391 (increase of 3,989) Vaccine doses administered: 12,154 (increase of 210) Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Belleville (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 318,106 (increase of 1,747)* COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 1,036 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 12); 44 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 1); 34 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change) VOC R(t): 1.29 (as of March 9)** 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,401 (increase of 64) Resolved: 298,570 (increase of 1,167), 93.9% of all cases Positivity rate: 3.1% (increase of 0.2%) Hospitalizations: 601 (decrease of 88)*** Hospitalizations in ICU: 282 (increase of 7) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 186 (increase of 11) Deaths: 7,153 (increase of 15) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 12 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,878 (no change) Total tests completed: 11,755,109 (increase of 47,618) Tests under investigation: 18,494 (decrease of 11,262) Vaccination doses administered: 1,158,355 (increase of 41,859) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 285,615 (increase of 929), 1.94% of Ontario’s population (est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)
*The provincial government states today’s case count “may be higher than expected due to a data catch-up process” related to the provincial Case and Contact Management system.
**R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specifc time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
***More than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from February 11 – March 13, 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 February 11 – March 13, 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 February 11 – March 13, 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 February 11 – March 13, 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 February 11 – March 13, 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)
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