COVID-19 cases drop to 38 – 11 from Whitby – but school outbreaks on the rise

New COVID cases in Durham Region dropped significantly to 38 Monday from 66 the previous day but active cases remain high at 452.

Whitby reported the highest number at 11 with Oshawa and Ajax each reporting eight new cases of the virus. There are three people in hospital but none in ICU.

There are still two residents isolating at Sunnycrest Nursery Home in Whitby and the number of workplace outbreaks is steady at eight. But school outbreaks are jumping at an alarming rate, with 15 schools reporting outbreaks and four schools now closed: Ajax High School, EE Corpus Christi in Oshawa, Duke of Cambridge in Bowmanville and Father Fenelon in Pickering.

Other outbreaks involving three or more children are at Happy Tots Nursery School (4), Pierre Trudeau Public School (3) and Hillsdale Public School (3). All three are in Oshawa.

The vaccination rate for children aged 5-11 is just under 30 per cent now just a few weeks after the rollout so health officials are hopeful the recent acceleration of school outbreaks can soon slow down.