The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit reported 15 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, according to an update released on Wednesday afternoon.
The regional health unit’s dashboard as of 2:20 p.m. reported case data as set out below.
Deaths: 104 — unchanged since March 11. Four cases previously reported in the City of Kawartha Lakes were removed from the health unit’s database on March 11 to align with changes in provincial reporting. Since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, the health unit has reported 74 deaths in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 29 in Northumberland County and one in Haliburton County.
New lab-confirmed cases: 15 since Tuesday — seven in the City of Kawartha Lakes and eight in Northumberland County.
Active lab-confirmed cases: 78 — down from 84 reported on Tuesday and 95 on Monday. Among the 78 active cases are one pending with 45 in the Kawarthas, 31 in Northumberland County and one in Haliburton County. The health unit notes that due to changes in provincial testing guidelines, the number of active cases is an “underestimate” of actual community spread.
Hospitalized cases: Seven cases are in hospital — unchanged since Tuesday’s update. One of the cases is receiving care in an intensive care unit — unchanged. There have been 191 cumulative hospitalized cases since the pandemic was declared, including 99 in the Kawarthas, 83 in Northumberland County and nine in Haliburton County. Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reported one patient as of noon Wednesday (unchanged) with none identifying COVID-19 as the primary cause of admission. The health unit notes there are “slight delays” in reporting case admittance, intensive care unit admission and hospital discharges.
Cumulative cases: 7,351 since the pandemic’s beginning — four pending, with 3,646 in the Kawarthas, 3,285 in Northumberland County and 416 in Haliburton County.
Resolved cases: 7,182 — an additional 21 since Tuesday’s update. The resolved cases make up approximately 97.7 per cent of all cases.
Rapid-antigen tests: The Ontario government says free rapid antigen tests will be made available at select grocery stores and pharmacies. For other community eligibility, visit the government’s website.
Vaccination: The health unit’s latest vaccination rate data was released Monday and can be found in this article. Walk-in vaccination clinics are open for eligible residents for first, second or booster doses at immunization clinics in Cobourg, Lindsay, Colborne, Minden, Fenelon Falls, Brighton and Campbellford.
In-house clinics at the health unit’s offices in Lindsay and Port Hope run over the next few weeks on Fridays and Saturdays until March 19. More details can be found in this Global News Peterborough article.
Appointments can also be booked via the provincial booking system or by calling 1-833-943-3900 (TTY for people who are deaf, hearing-impaired or speech-impaired: 1-866-797-0007). A list of dates and times is available on the health unit’s website.
Outbreaks
The health unit only reports outbreaks at “high-risk settings.” No new outbreaks were reported on Wednesday, leaving three active outbreaks (unless noted, case details were unavailable):
- Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon in the City of Kawartha Lakes: Declared Sunday. In an email to Global News Peterborough, Sierra Living reported two residents and one team member on the third floor have tested positive for COVID-19. The third floor has been placed in isolation with all infection prevention and control precautions implemented.
- Home for Special Care — Eastside Lodge in Lindsay: Declared March 2.
- Central East Correctional Centre: Declared Jan. 17. Outbreaks were declared on “multiple units.” The province on March 14 reported 35 active cases among inmates (most recent data) — unchanged from March 13. There were 49 cases reported o March 10. At its peak, there were 269 cases reported on Jan. 31.