Three more COVID-19 cases in Peterborough

Hospitals to resume non-urgent procedures and tests in early June

Three more confirmed COVID-19 cases in Peterborough city and county and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations were reported Friday afternoon by Peterborough Public Health.

Of the 86 cases, 74 have now been resolved and there were two earlier deaths, leaving 10 active cases.

On Wednesday a drive-thru testing station opened at the Kinsmen Civic Centre at Sherbrooke Street and Medical Drive, allowing anyone who wants a test to get a test, even if they don’t have symptoms. Testing for patients with symptoms also continues at the assessment centre at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

As of Friday afternoon, more than 7,700 people have been tested.

There were 334 people alone tested on Thursday at the Kinsmen Civic Centre drive-thru, according to Peterborough Paramedics Chief Randy Mellow.

The drive-thru has been coordinated by staff at Peterborough Paramedics, Peterborough Public Health and Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

A vehicle is not necessary to get tested, but people must bring their health card.

There were no institutional outbreaks in the jurisdiction as of Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, the city announced Friday that its COVID-19 emergency declaration remains in place until further notice with most municipal facilities closed to the public with some facilities and programs gradually reopening under guidance from local health officials.

Kawartha Lakes cases hold steady

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit remained at 170 on Friday afternoon.

There are 147 cases in the City of Kawartha Lakes — where there were 32 deaths in late March and early April, mostly at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon — with 122 of the cases resolved as of Friday afternoon, unchanged from Thursday.

Northumberland County has 16 cases with all 16 resolved and Haliburton County has seven cases with all seven resolved.

As of Friday, the health unit is tracking 23 people in the City of Kawartha Lakes, two in Northumberland and one in Haliburton who are at high risk for having contact with confirmed cases.

Institutional outbreaks are continuing at Empire Crossing Retirement Community in Port Hope, Kawartha Lakes Retirement

Residence in Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Court longterm-care home in Fenelon Falls.

The City of Kawartha Lakes Public Library is launching pickup services at both the Lindsay and Fenelon Falls branches starting June 3, with service from Mondays to Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Regional restart to paused non-urgent surgeries, procedures, tests

Five hospitals in the Peterborough area are proceeding with a regional plan to begin resuming non-urgent surgeries, procedures and tests that were paused on March 19 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The staged plan will begin in early June at Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, Campbellford Memorial Hospital, Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg and Haliburton Highlands Health Services.

The co-ordinated approach will allow each hospital to increase and decrease the amount of non-urgent care provided as circumstances allow, the hospitals announced Friday.

Non-urgent care at each hospital will be resumed in a gradual, phased manner, according to a news release issued by the hospitals on Friday.

The hospitals will prioritize the most urgent patients, and at times, may need to scale back on non-urgent-care volumes again as COVID-19 activity in the region fluctuates.

Under the plan, supply chains, hospital volumes and the capacity of community partners to support acute care will be monitored and co-ordinated to meet the needs of patients safely.

The hospitals will monitor each patient’s clinical urgency and health status while they wait for their surgery, procedure or test. As the ramp-up begins at each hospital, some patients will need to be prioritized while others will continue to wait.

Patients should communicate with their physician’s office while they wait for their surgery, procedure or test to be rescheduled and advise their doctor if symptoms change.