COVID cases decline over the weekend but LTCH outbreaks in Oshawa and elsewhere continue dangerous upward trend
Published January 17, 2022 at 3:25 pm
Sunday’s COVID-19 new case total in Durham Region took a dramatic downward trend in what likely has little real meaning, while outbreaks at long-term care homes continued to climb in what probably has far more meaning, and none of it good.
New cases since the last reporting day were 816 (Friday), 658 (Saturday) and 445 (Sunday), bringing the active case count to 8,446, a number that most experts say is underrepresented by a considerable margin. For the record, Oshawa had a three-day average of 161 new cases; Whitby 126 and Ajax 121.
There are currently 44 outbreaks in long-term care and retirement homes, with 184 people self-isolating. The biggest outbreak continues to be Hillsdale Estates in Oshawa, which has 37 people isolating and 19 cases resolved.
Other major outbreaks are at Glen Hill Strathaven (24), Lakeridge Health Oshawa (18 in five different outbreaks, including 12 in the largest), Orchard Villa (15) Hillsdale Terraces (13), Fairview Lodge (8), Wynfield Long-Term Care (7) and Lakeridge Health Whitby (6).
There are two workplace outbreaks and none in day care centres.
The last reported hospitalization numbers are from Friday when there were 149 people in hospital from COVID and 18 in ICU.
Provincially, there are 3,887 people in hospital, up 292 from Sunday, and 578 in ICU.
As a case to get vaccinated (as if there weren’t enough), the fully vaccinated make up about 69 per cent of those in hospital in Ontario (while comprising 85 per cent of Ontarians) but only 46 per cent (196 of 312) of those in ICU.
You want to avoid intensive care? Get vaccinated.
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