Record 32 COVID-19 cases recorded March 31 brings active tally to 71

A record 32 COVID-19 cases were recorded in Hastings Prince Edward March 31 bringing active cases to 71, the highest number since the pandemic began last year.

The seven day case rate per 100,000 people is a 29.7 – which could see the area moving to the orange – restrict zone of the province’s response framework.

Of the new cases, 15 were recorded in Belleville, 11 in Quinte West and two each in Prince Edward County, Centre Hastings and North Hastings. One was related to a workplace outbreak in Trenton (three cases); seven are linked to close contact, six to local spread and 18 transmission causes are pending.

The 71 active cases show 32 in Belleville, 19 in Quinte West, seven in Centre Hastings, six in Deseronto, five in Prince Edward County and two in North Hastings. There are 20 variants of concern recorded. There is one person hospitalized. There have been 28,473 vaccines administered and 1,946 people fully vaccinated.

Yesterday, a new ‘class order’ from HPEPH came into effect over rising cases and increasing concern about variants. Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health, also pleaded with residents not to gather with people outside their households for the Easter and Passover holidays.

Global News reported yesterday a comment from Dr. Kieran Moore, Kingston, Frontenac Lennox and Addington’s medical officer of health stating he believes “there was a ‘superspreader’ event hosted at an Airbnb somewhere in the Prince Edward County area that was a contributing factor to the abrupt class order amendment.”

Oglaza told Global News “that is not something we usually share, that kind of detailed information. “We’ve seen that transmission was taking place unintentionally at private social gatherings, where there was little to no public health measures in place.”

Click here to see the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health COVID-19 dashboard.