COVID-19: Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge vaccination rate at 84%, active cases at 14

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit reported six new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend and slight increases in vaccination rates, according to data released Monday morning.

Four of the new cases were reported in Northumberland County and the other two in Haliburton County. No new cases were reported in the City of Kawartha Lakes since Friday (the health unit does not issue updates on weekends).

The number of active cases, however, dropped to 14, from 15 on Friday, thanks to seven more resolved cases. There are nine active cases in Northumberland County (one more), three in the City of Kawartha Lakes (three less) and two in Haliburton County (one more).

In its weekly vaccination rate data released Monday, the health unit reported the following:

All eligible residents (ages 12 and up):

• Single dose: 86.8 per cent (up from 86.5 per cent reported Nov. 15)
• Two doses (fully vaccinated): 84.2 per cent (up from 83.7 per cent on Nov. 15)

Adults (age 18 and up):

• One dose: 87.1 per cent (up from 86.9 per cent on Nov. 15)
• Two doses: 84.6 per cent (up from 84.2 per cent on Nov. 15)

Parents will be able to start booking appointments for children ages five to 11 for a COVID-19 vaccine at HKPR’s vaccination clinics via the provincial booking system beginning Tuesday, Nov. 23.

“Children can contribute to the spread of the virus at home and in other settings,” stated Dr. Natalie Bocking, medical officer of health. “In order for us to most effectively build community protection against COVID-19, we need to get as many people across all age groups, including children, fully vaccinated.”

Virtual panel

To help answer questions parents may still have about vaccinating their child, the health unit it is teaming up with local primary care providers to offer a virtual panel discussion entitled “Fast Facts on COVID-19 Vacs for Kids.”

The virtual event will be held on Thursday, Dec. 2 from 6-7 p.m. streamlined live on the health unit’s YouTube channel and will be available after the meeting too.

“We know some parents are questioning the need and the safety of the vaccine and this information session is the perfect opportunity to talk about those concerns and help clear up some of the misinformation and fear that may be circulating,” said Bocking. “While children are less likely to get really sick from COVID-19, there are still many reasons why they need the protection offered by the vaccine.”

Panel participants will include Bocking, Dr. Sheila Mae Young, family physician in the City of Kawartha Lakes (moderator), Dr. Emma Smith, Family Physician with Northumberland Family Health Team and Brooke Mountney, HKPR public health nurse.

Visit the health unit’s website for information on how to view the session and pre-submit questions.

Other COVID-19 data reported by the health unit on Monday:

• Resolved cases: 2,454 — seven more since Friday’s update. The resolved cases make up approximately 97 per cent of the 2,531 cumulative cases since the pandemic’s beginning.
• Variant cases: 962 — unchanged since Friday’s update. Overall, there have been 532 variant cases in the Kawarthas, 375 in Northumberland County and 55 in Haliburton County.
• High-risk contacts: 67 — down from 171 reported on Friday. The health unit notes four of the high-risk contacts are missing residence identification, but are included in the overall data.
• Outbreaks: None active. Since the pandemic was declared, the health unit has dealt with 74 outbreaks: 30 at long-term care and/or retirement homes, 12 at workplaces, 11 at congregate settings, 11 at community settings, nine at schools and one at a hospital.
• Hospitalized cases to date: 94 — the first new case since Nov. 15. There are currently two hospitalized cases, none in the intensive care unit. Since the pandemic began, there have been 53 hospitalized cases in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 37 in Northumberland County and four in Haliburton County (one more since Friday).
• Deaths: 76 since the pandemic was declared. The latest virus-related death was reported on June 29 in the City of Kawartha Lakes. There have been 58 deaths among people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Kawarthas, 17 in Northumberland County and one in Haliburton County.
• COVID-19 tests: 241,337 tests have been completed in the health unit’s jurisdiction since the pandemic began — an additional 506 since Friday’s update.

School boards as of 12:05 p.m. Monday reported the following cases at schools within the health unit’s jurisdiction:

• The Trillium Lakelands District School Board reported no active cases.
• The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington District School Board reported no active cases.
• The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board reported one active case at East Northumberland Secondary School in Brighton. The school remains open. The school board does not report if cases involve students or staff.