COVID-19: Six new cases reported in Peterborough area as active cases jump to 18

Peterborough Public Health reported six new cases of COVID-19 and a new workplace outbreak, according to data released Friday afternoon.

In its COVID tracker update issued around 4:04 p.m., the regional health unit reported 18 active cases, up from 13 reported on Thursday.

Other data from the health unit on Friday:

• Outbreaks: A workplace outbreak was declared Thursday at Home Instead on Charlotte Street. The company offers in-home senior care services. There are now three cases associated with the outbreak. As of Friday, the health unit has dealt with 339 cases associated with 58 outbreaks since the pandemic’s beginnings — one additional case since Thursday.
• Cumulative confirmed cases: 1,913 since the pandemic was declared in March 2020.
• Deaths: 24 — A death was reported over the weekend — a man in his 70s who was unvaccinated. It was the first death reported since Sept. 10.
• Variant of concern cases: 1,128 — three more cases since Thursday’s update. The first variant case was reported on Feb. 23 and the first confirmed Delta variant case was reported on June 19.
• Resolved cases: 1,871 — one more case since Thursday. Resolved cases make up approximately 97.8 per cent of all cases.
• Close contacts:  41 — up from 39 reported on Thursday. A close contact is a person who is known to have had close contact with someone who was infected with COVID-19. People who are close contacts have to self-isolate for 14 days from the last time they had contact with a person infected with COVID-19.
• Hospitalizations: 90 cases have required hospitalization since the pandemic began. Peterborough Regional Health Centre on Tuesday reported two COVID-19 admissions. The hospitalized cases make up approximately 4.7 per cent of all cases; 19 of the cases required the intensive care unit. ICU admissions make up one per cent of all the health unit’s cases since the pandemic’s beginnings.
• COVID-19 exposure: 75.4 per cent of all cases (1,442) in the health unit’s jurisdiction are from contact with another existing case, 20 per cent (383 cases) are connected with community spread, 3.9 per cent (75 cases) are related to travel and 0.7 per cent (13 cases) have yet to be determined.
• Testing: More than 63,500 people have been tested for COVID-19 — an additional 100 since Thursday’s update.
• Enforcement: Since Oct. 1, five charges have been laid against a total of three businesses under the Reopening Ontario Act.

The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, as of 2:37 p.m. Friday, reported two active cases among its schools within the health unit’s jurisdiction (the school board does not state if cases involve students or staff).

• Orono Public School: Two cases. School remains open

The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic District School Board reported one active case at its schools within the health unit’s jurisdiction on Friday afternoon (the school board does not state if cases involve students or staff). Data may not align with the health unit’s updates:

• St. John Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough: One case — unchanged. School remains open

Trent University reported no active cases at its Peterborough and Durham campuses on Friday afternoon. It says 94 per cent of students and 96 per cent of employees are fully vaccinated and three per cent of students and one per cent of staff are partially vaccinated.

Fleming College has not reported any cases at its Peterborough campus.

The health unit releases its weekly vaccination rate data on Wednesday. The latest data can be found in this Global News Peterborough story.

Upcoming vaccination clinics offering first and second doses at the Healthy Planet Arena (911 Monaghan Rd.) in Peterborough include:

• Monday, Nov. 8 to Friday, Nov. 12: Each day 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.