Four new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the City of Kawartha Lakes on Thursday and the first death in Haliburton County.
According to the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, there were also no new cases reported in Northumberland and Haliburton counties. The number of active cases for the health unit as of Thursday afternoon is now at 21, down from 24 reported on Wednesday.
The 21 cases include 11 in the Kawarthas and 10 in Northumberland County and none in Haliburton County.
Of the health unit’s 1,037 cases since the pandemic was declared, 962 are now resolved, or approximately 93 per cent.
There remain 14 variant of concern cases for the health unit and these consist of a dozen cases in Northumberland and two in the Kawarthas.
However, the number of high-risk contacts increased on Thursday to 91 from the 82 reported on Wednesday.
Also on Thursday, the health unit reports three people are currently receiving hospitalized care, one more since Wednesday’s update. Two of the three patients are in an intensive care unit. Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports that it does not currently have any COVID-19 admissions as of noon Thursday.
The only active outbreak for the health unit is at Regency Place long-term care and retirement homes in Port Hope. The outbreak was declared on Jan. 30 after a staff member tested positive.
The death toll from COVID-19 is now at 67 for the health unit: 55 people in the Kawarthas — which included 28 residents at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon in the spring 2020 and 18 residents at Caressant Care McLaughlin long-term care in Lindsay following an outbreak in January which was declared over on Monday.
There have also been 11 deaths in Northumberland County and one in Haliburton County, the first for the Haliburton area.
Vaccine rollout
Ross Memorial Hospital began its vaccine rollout to front-line health-care workers and physicians on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Campbellford Memorial Hospital received Pfizer vaccine doses and began vaccinating residents and staff of the adjoining Campbellford Memorial Multicare Lodge after being given the go-ahead by health unit.
The hospital says once all residents have received their first vaccination, the hospital will then vaccinate its highest priority healthcare workers per the health unit’s direction and in accordance with the provincial phased approach to vaccination rollout.
“Close to 70 CMH staff have already been vaccinated thanks to Northumberland Hills Hospital (in Cobourg), which has been serving as a central vaccination clinic for the highest priority healthcare workers in the HKPRDHU,” the hospital stated.
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