Public health officials in Huron-Perth have recorded the region’s 96th COVID-related death.
The latest death, added to the region’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday, was not linked to an outbreak, Huron-Perth public health confirmed.
Huron-Perth reported 11 new confirmed cases Tuesday, but the actual number is much higher since access to the province’s most reliable tests are restricted to people in high-risk settings.
Five outbreaks were active in Huron-Perth on Tuesday.
An outbreak at Spruce Lodge in Stratford has affected 21 staff members and 16 residents since it was declared March 13, according to the local health unit’s COVID-19 dashboard, but it was unclear Tuesday how many of those cases are considered active.
Other long-term care and retirement homes experiencing an outbreak on Tuesday included Seaforth Manor Nursing Home and Goderich Place. Two other outbreaks in the region were active Tuesday at a pair of unnamed congregate living settings.
“Some indicators, such as wastewater surveillance, have plateaued or increased recently,” the health unit said in an email. “This was expected after the lifting of public-health measures. At this point, the health-care system appears to be able to manage the rebound in cases. As for outbreaks, they are a reflection of community transmission.”
Two people from Huron-Perth were in hospital Tuesday due to COVID-19.
“It is important to note that COVID-19 continues to circulate and has the potential to cause serious illness,” the health unit said. “COVID-19 is not going away. We do anticipate new variants of concern and seasonal rises in transmission, especially during the colder months of the year going forward.”
Across the rest of the province, Ontario reported 790 people in hospital with COVID-19 and 165 in intensive care on Tuesday. That’s up from 655 in hospital and 158 in intensive care on Monday.
Ontario is also reporting seven more COVID-19 deaths.
There are 1,610 new cases of COVID-19 recorded today, but the province’s top doctor has said the actual number is likely 10 times higher than the daily log.
Provincial data show 12,302 tests were completed over the previous 24 hours, with a positivity rate of 14.4 per cent. Monday’s test positivity rate of 17.9 per cent was the highest since late January, when it hit 18.8 per cent during the Omicron wave.
-With files from the Canadian Press