Twelve new cases of COVID-19 and another outbreak at a Trent University student residence were reported in the Peterborough area, the region’s health unit issued Friday.
According to Peterborough Public Health’s COVID tracker at 4:33 p.m., there are now 143 active cases of COVID-19, up from 139 reported on Thursday. The health unit serves Peterborough, Peterborough County, Hiawatha First Nation and Curve Lake First Nation.
The health unit also reported that of its 1,085 cumulative cases since the pandemic was declared, 324 are variant of concern cases, up from 310 reported about 24 hours earlier. The first confirmed variant of concern was reported on Feb. 23.
Of the health unit’s total cases, 930 are now declared resolved (up from 922 on Thursday) — approximately 86 per cent.
The health unit declared a new outbreak at Trent University’s Champlain College residence (E/F Tower)— on the campus’s west bank of the Otonabee River. Case details were not immediately available. On Friday, the university’s COVID-19 tracker jumped to 13 cases, up from seven on Thursday and one on Wednesday. All 13 cases are on student residence.
It’s the second outbreak at Champlain College following one declared March 4 which health officials said was connected to the deadly outbreak at privately-operated Severn Court Student Residence in the city’s west end near Fleming College. One Fleming College resident died in the outbreak which was associated with parties at the residence.
As well, outbreaks in the city were declared over at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School (declared on April 4; there were up to three active cases) and at Champlain College’s Annex on Water St. (declared April 3 with three cases).
Since the pandemic was declared, the health unit has dealt with 231 COVID-19 cases associated with 39 outbreaks. Other active outbreaks for the health unit as of Friday:
- Workplace #6 in Peterborough: Declared Thursday, no case details were provided.
- Workplace # 5 in Peterborough: Declared Tuesday, no case details were provided.
- Congregate living facility # 3 in Peterborough: Declared Sunday, no case details provided.
- Workplace #4 outbreak: Declared Friday in Peterborough County. No case specifics provided.
- Empress Gardens Retirement Residence: Declared March 22 after one employee tested positive. Two residents have died in hospital due to COVID-19 complications. Two new active cases — one resident and one staff — were reported late Wednesday.
Other school cases in the health unit’s jurisdiction:
- Armour Heights Public School in Peterborough: One new case reported late Thursday. No case details provided. “This individual was not at school while they were infectious. As a result, the health unit has confirmed that there is no additional risk to our students or staff,” stated principal Jennifer McIlmoyle-Parsons in a letter to parents and guardians.
- St. Alphonsus Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough — 2 cases, unchanged since Wednesday.
- Kenner Collegiate, Holy Cross Catholic Secondary and St. Catherine Catholic Elementary, all in Peterborough and at North Shore Public School in Keene — One case each, all unchanged since Wednesday.
Other COVID-19 data for Friday:
- Close contacts: 384, down from 421 on Thursday.
- 36 cases have required hospitalized care since the pandemic was declared, unchanged since Wednesday. Six required the intensive care unit (up one since Wednesday)
- Fleming College: Reports one case related to its Sutherland Campus in the city. The college says the individual was last on campus on April 6 and the case is deemed “low-risk.”
- Peterborough Regional Health Centre: Reports 21 COVID-19 inpatients, up from 17 on Thursday. There have been 45 patient transfers from other areas, up five since Thursday.
- Death toll: 12 since the pandemic was declared, two linked to outbreak at Empress Gardens Retirement Residence; one to the Severn Court Student Residence outbreak in Peterborough; three associated with a November 2020 outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care in Peterborough.
- More than 48,100 people have been tested for COVID-19.
Vaccination
During a Friday media conference call, medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra said about 32.6 per cent of the eligible population in the health unit’s jurisdiction have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Of the 41,148 doses administered, 38,517 are first doses (93.6 per cent). The remainder are second doses which went to long-term care residents.
Salvaterra said of the vaccination groups, “nearly 100 per cent” eligible in the 80 and older group have been vaccinated; it’s around 75 per cent in the 70-70 age bracket.
Vaccine supply remains a concern with challenges to fulfill the demand throughout the month of April. She noted PRHC is down to one vaccine clinic a week.
“We are ready to ramp up to vaccine our full daily capacity of 2,000 residents per day as soon as we get enough vaccine,” she said.
Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith said vaccine shortages and shipping delays have been challenging. He says Ontario continues to aim to have 40 per cent of the eligible population (age 60 and older) vaccinated by the end April, a goal that he says sits at 32 per cent.
“It isn’t all dire news,” he said. “We can make the best of this. We can come out of this in very good shape.”
Salvaterra is reminding residents to cancel vaccination appointments if they can’t make it. Vaccines only have a six-hour expiry life after being punctured, she said.
“Essentially we go through the list and call people and if they don’t answer the phone we move onto the next person because time is of the essence,” she said.
Vaccination appointments can be made either online at any time or by calling 249-494-5631 from Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
— With files from Jessica Nyznik/Global News Peterborough