Peterborough Public Health reports four new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon as well as a case within the Trent University community.
There were also six resolved cases, decreasing the total number of active cases to 51 for the health unit’s jurisdiction of Peterborough, Peterborough County, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation.
The data was posted to the health unit’s COVID tracker webpage at 4:20 p.m.
There remain two active outbreaks:
- Fairhaven long-term care on Dutton Road (a staff worker) was declared on Jan. 11.
- Community Living Trent Highland’s Romaine St. residential home (14 cases total among residents and staff; declared Dec. 23, 2020)
Fairhaven stated Wednesday evening that it had received 30 per cent of resident and employee coronavirus swab tests — taken after the initial case was discovered — and all the tests to date were negative.
“There is no evidence that the virus has been transmitted in the home and there are no suspected cases,” Fairhaven stated.
Trent University on Thursday reported it was informed of a case of COVID-19 within its community, however, the health unit has deemed the risk “very low.”
“No close contacts on campus have been identified,” the university stated. “If you have not been contacted by Public Health, you are not considered to be at risk of infection due to this case.
The individual is in the Peterborough residence specially designated for quarantine during the contagion period.
“The individual is connected with supports and services and will not leave quarantine until advised by public health that it is safe to do so,” the university stated.
The Peterborough campus, including Trent residences which are not connected with the quarantine area, remains open with reduced operations.
Since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, there have been 459 cases reported by the health unit of which 403 are now resolved — approximately 88 per cent.
There have been five deaths — three attributed to an outbreak at Fairhaven in November 2020. Two other deaths occurred in April.
The Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports Thursday “less than 10” patients with COVID-19 are on inpatient units. Since the pandemic was declared, there have been 19 hospitalized cases, three of which required the intensive care unit.
The hospital also reports Thursday “less than 10” non-COVID patient transfers have come from other regions as a result of provincial directives.
The health unit also reports more than 40,300 people have been tested for the coronavirus — approximately one in four people in its jurisdiction.
To get tested for COVID-19, book an online appointment. Testing for those without or with mild symptoms is held at the Northcrest Arena. If you have COVID-19 symptoms and need to be assessed by a doctor, contact the PRHC’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre at 705-876-5086 to determine whether an appointment is required. This phone line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Vaccine presentation
The health unit will be hosting an online presentation about the current status of COVID-19 vaccines and the local rollout. The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15.
Medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra invites questions from the community in advance so she can try to address them during her presentation, which also includes a focus on the provincial vaccine rollout and an overview of approved vaccines in Canada.
To register and submit questions, visit this link.
For those unable to attend, the event will be posted on the health unit’s website.