First shipment of COVID-19 vaccine arrives
Peterborough has received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine.
A supply of the two-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived Monday morning at Peterborough Regional Health Centre and administration of the first 500 doses of the vaccine is to begin Tuesday, Peterborough Public Health announced.
The shipment came on the same day as the provincial government announced it had bumped up the deadline to have all long-term care-home residents and First Nations elders vaccinated provincewide to Feb. 5 from Feb. 15.
The hospital plans to work with the health unit in delivering the vaccine to the community.
The vaccinations will start with the eight long-term-care homes in Peterborough city and county, but not at retirement homes because their residents are not considered to be at the highest risk, according to a press release from the health unit.
Logistical planning for the first phase of the vaccine rollout began in late December, the release states.
Last week, health unit officials had been expecting the first vaccine shipment to be the Pfizer vaccine, but instead it turned out to be the Moderna vaccine.
Two new cases
Two new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation were reported Monday afternoon by Peterborough Public Health.
Seven cases have now recovered and another case has been removed from the previous tally because it was a duplicate, the health unit also reported, resulting in 42 active cases, down from 48 on Sunday.
There have now been 515 cumulative cases in the jurisdiction with 466 resolved and
seven earlier deaths.
Peterborough Regional Health Centre reported having 16 in-patients with the virus as of Monday. The hospital now has between five and nine patients who have been transferred from other hospitals that have reached capacity because of the pandemic.
Outbreaks remain in effect on the A2/B2 stroke rehabilitation unit at PRHC as well as at Centennial Place long-term-care home in Millbrook and Regency Retirement Home in Lakefield.
More than 41,150 residents, or 27.8 per cent, have now been tested for the virus at least once.
Trent University summer semester mostly online
Trent University has announced that its summer courses will be offered primarily remotely and online at both the Peterborough and Oshawa campuses.
In exceptional cases, in-person courses may be available in some programs, with outdoor labs and classes possible with the return of warmer weather. Student supports and services will also continue to be available on campus as well as online.
The summer timetable will be published on Feb. 12 and course registration will open for students on Feb. 23, as currently scheduled.