COVID-19: 106 active cases for Peterborough area; staff case at Fairhaven LTC; close contacts surge

Peterborough Public Health reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 and a large jump in the number of close contact cases (one previous case was removed from a previous day).

According to the health unit’s COVID tracker at 4:04 p.m., there are now 106 active cases, up from 103 reported on Monday. A week ago on May 11 there were 75 active cases.

Variant cases are now at 593, up from 570 reported 24 hours earlier. There were 515 variant cases on May 11. The health unit’s first confirmed variant case was reported on Feb. 23.

Resolved cases now sit at 1,281, an additional six since Monday. They make up 91.1 per cent of the health unit’s 1,405 cumulative cases since the pandemic’s beginnings in March 2020.

Fairhaven long-term care in Peterborough reports an employee has tested positive for COVID-19, however, an outbreak has not been declared.

According to the facility, the employee had received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose but were not fully vaccinated. The home received the test result on Tuesday morning.

An outbreak will not be declared unless two staff test positive, or a resident or essential caregiver tests positive and if there is evidence of transmission within the facility on Dutton Road.

“This case did also not originate at Fairhaven,” the home stated Tuesday. “Any residents that may have had contact with this employee will need to isolate for 14 days and will have a lab PCR test administered after seven days. Contacts for the residents affected will be directly informed this afternoon. While residents are in isolation, only one deemed essential caregiver can visit until the isolation period is over. This restriction does not apply to those visiting palliative residents.”

The last outbreak at Fairhaven was in January when an employee tested positive. The first was declared on Oct. 31 when a caregiver — not a direct employee — tested positive. Over the next 40 days the outbreak claimed the lives of three of 20 residents who contracted the virus. Five staff and caregivers also tested positive during the outbreak.

A second outbreak was declared in mid-December involving a person employed at the home.

No new outbreaks were reported Tuesday by the health unit, leaving four active:

• Workplace in Peterborough County: Declared Monday, May 18. Case details not available
• Workplace in Peterborough County (No. 9): Declared Sunday, May 17. Case details not available.
• Helping Hands Daycare in Millbrook in Cavan Monaghan Township: Declared May 11. Province reported nine cases — six children and three staff as of Tuesday morning (up from four children and three staff on Monday morning).
• Congregate living facility No. 3 in Peterborough: Declared April 11, no case details provided.

Since the pandemic first began, the health unit has dealt with 286 COVID-19 cases associated with 46 outbreaks — an additional three cases since Monday.

Other COVID-19 data for Tuesday afternoon:

• Deaths: 18 — four of the deaths have occurred in May, the latest was reported on Sunday, May 16. Since the pandemic was declared, two deaths have been linked to the Empress Gardens Retirement Residence in Peterborough which was declared over last week. Another death was linked to the Severn Court Student Residence outbreak in February in Peterborough while three were tied to a November 2020 outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care in Peterborough.
• Hospitalizations: at least 63 cases have required hospitalized care since the pandemic was declared  — two more since Monday. Thirteen required the intensive care unit, unchanged since May 12. They make up 0.9 per cent of all the health unit’s cases.
• Peterborough Regional Health Centre: Reports as of Tuesday, there are eight COVID-19 inpatients — down four since Monday. There have been at least 73 patient transfers from other areas (unchanged since May 11).
• Close contacts: 360, up from 315 reported Monday.
• Trent University: reports one employee has tested positive. The university says the employee was last on the Peterborough campus on May 13. “Public Health has advised the risk to our campus community is low.”
• Fleming College: reports no cases related to its Sutherland Campus in the city.
• More than 51,550 people have been tested for COVID-19.

Vaccination appointments must be made via the provincial call centre at 1-833-943-3900, available daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. or anytime online.

Peterborough pharmacies offering a vaccine to eligible recipients: Costco Pharmacy at The Parkway; Walmart and Rexall, both on Chemong Road; and High St. Guardian. Appointments are required and can be made by calling the respective pharmacies.