Three more COVID-19 deaths reported in area

Nine have now died at the Caressant Care nursing home in Lindsay

The COVID-19 pandemic took a deadly turn in the area on Wednesday with the deaths of one person in Peterborough city and county and two others in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

The Peterborough death is the ninth of someone who has tested positive for the virus in the jurisdiction since the pandemic began in March.

No further details about the new death were immediately available. Six of the first eight deaths were people in their 90s, one was in her 80s and the first was in his 60s, according to Public Health Ontario.

The death occurred as the jurisdiction continues to wait for its second shipment of COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly 500 residents and some staff members at five long-term-care homes have been vaccinated from the first shipment last week.

Two more COVID-19-related deaths in the City of Kawartha

Lakes were reported Wednesday afternoon by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit as a deadly outbreak continued at the Caressant Care long-term-care home on McLaughlin Road in Lindsay.

Nine residents of the Lindsay nursing home have now died, Stuart Oakley, communications and marketing manager with Caressant Care Nursing and Retirement Homes Ltd., said Wednesday.

“Our hearts go out to those affected. This is heartbreaking for everyone,” said Oakley, noting he could not confirm that all of the deaths were linked to the pandemic.

Another 24 other residents of the 96-bed home and 21 staff members had active COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday.

Seven new cases, Lakefield outbreak over

Seven new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the jurisdiction were also reported Wednesday by the health unit, while three cases have recovered. There have now been 554 cumulative cases in the jurisdiction with 509 resolved, nine deaths and 36 active cases, up from 33 on Tuesday.

An outbreak that had been in effect since Jan. 17 at the Regency of Lakefield retirement home on Concession Street in Lakefield was declared over on Wednesday.

Outbreaks continue at Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s A2/B2 stroke rehabilitation unit and the Peterborough Retirement Residence on Water Street.

The health unit also reported a new hospitalized COVID-19 case on Wednesday, the 24th in the jurisdiction since the pandemic began. As of Wednesday, there were four in-patients at Peterborough Regional Health Centre with the virus, along with 12 critical care patients transferred from Greater Toronto Area hospitals that are at full capacity.

More than 41,700 residents, or 28.2 per cent, have been tested at least once for the virus, the health unit also reported Wednesday.

Letter of thanks

Louis O’Brien, chair of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre board of directors, issued a letter of thanks to all of the hospital’s health-care professionals, staff and volunteers on Wednesday.

“We appreciate the tremendous effort and passion for serving our patients and their families that you have all shown,” O’Brien wrote. “Thank you for the key role you are playing in this time of frustration, hourly changes and increasing challenges. We know that many of you are getting very tired of this. We are inspired by all that you do and especially want to thank you for being there with out patients when those they love and cherish cannot.”

Three new cases in City of Kawartha Lakes

Three new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the City of Kawartha Lakes were also reported Wednesday by the health unit, which has now had a cumulative total of 876 cases with 56 of them active.

There have now been 455 cumulative cases in the City of Kawartha Lakes with 46 active, 371 in Northumberland County with eight active and 50 in Haliburton County with two active.

There are also three probable cases in the City of Kawartha

Lakes.

More cases are expected in the coming days because the health unit is monitoring 65 people in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 25 in Northumberland County and 15 in Haliburton County who are considered to be at high risk because of close contact with a confirmed case, along with three other high-risk contacts.

Besides the Caressant Care McLaughlin Road outbreak, the jurisdiction has eight other active outbreaks.

There are two outbreaks at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay along with outbreaks at the Regency Manor long-term-care home in Port Hope, the Hyland Crest longterm-care home in Minden, Hope Street Terrace longterm-care home in Port Hope, the Golden Plough Lodge longterm-care home in Cobourg, Warkworth Place long-termcare home in Warkworth and Caressant Care long-term-care home on Mary Street in Lindsay.

Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay had two admitted patients with the virus as of Wednesday.