Ten new cases of COVID-19, an outbreak and another five variant cases were reported in the Peterborough area on Tuesday, according to the region’s health unit.
Peterborough Public Health‘s COVID-19 tracker site as of roughly 4:30 p.m. listed 56 active cases in its jurisdiction, up from 55 reported on Monday. The health unit’s jurisdiction includes Peterborough and the municipalities of Peterborough County, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation.
There are now 126 presumed variant of concern cases, another increase from the 121 reported Monday — 59 of the cases stem from the ongoing outbreak at the Severn Court Student Residence in the city’s west end.
Earlier Tuesday the health unit reported the first death related to the outbreak — a student in his 30s, marking the 10th overall COVID-19 death for the health unit since the pandemic was declared.
Eight student cases of COVID-19 at Trent University’s Champlain College are also linked to Severn Court’s outbreak, the health unit has reported.
Also on Tuesday the health unit said there were five active COVID-19 cases remaining with the Severn Court outbreak. The health unit’s first confirmed variant of concern (the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the United Kingdom) was reported on Feb. 23.
A presumed variant is defined as having tested positive for a mutation, but it requires further genomic sequencing to determine its specific strain, the health unit notes. Testing at the Public Health Ontario labs generally takes seven to 14 days. Once a strain is identified, it is then placed on the tracker’s “confirmed” case list.
Get weekly health news
On Tuesday, Fleming College reported no cases related to its Sutherland Campus in the city, down from seven last Wednesday. The college resumed most in-person classes on Monday after being cancelled for two weeks starting March 1 due to the Severn Court outbreak.
Trent University reported just one active student case, on Tuesday — a student living off campus. Last week the case total peaked at nine, although the university notes not all of the cases are connected to the Champlain College outbreak.
Of the health unit’s 778 cumulative cases since the pandemic was declared a year ago, 712 are now resolved — approximately 91.5 per cent. There were 704 cases reported resolved on Monday.
On Monday, the outbreak was declared over at Regency Retirement Home in Lakefield.
However, on Tuesday, the health unit declared an outbreak at a “congregate living facility” in the city but did not specify which facility was impacted or the number of cases.
Since the pandemic was declared, the health unit has reported 173 cases linked to 28 outbreaks .
Other case data for Tuesday:
- Close contacts: 144 (132 were reported on Monday).
- Peterborough Regional Health Centre: “Less than 5” COVID-19 patients. There have been 19 patients total as a result of transfers from other areas due to provincial directives — two more since last week.
- Hospitalized cases: 26 since the pandemic was declared (three required the intensive care unit)
- Death toll: 10 since the pandemic was declared, one with the Severn Court Student Residence outbreak; three associated with a November 2020 outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care in Peterborough.
- 45,100 people have been tested for the novel coronavirus. To get tested for COVID-19, book an online appointment. Testing for those without symptoms or with mild symptoms is held at the Northcrest Arena in Peterborough.
School cases in the health unit’s jurisdiction:
- St. Catherine Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough: four cases, up from two initially reported March 10 by the Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland Catholic District School Board; school remains open.
- St. John Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough: one case reported on March 10.
Comments