Two new COVID cases; now 27 active – none in PEC

NOV 26 – Two new cases of COVID-19 were added by Hastings Prince Edward Health to its dashboard, Thursday. With one recovery, the cases are one fewer than yesterday.

There are none currently in Prince Edward County, but as numbers rise, more local businesses are stating publicly they are asking people from outside of the region, in lockdown, red or orange zones, to stay away.

One of the new cases is related to an outbreak declared at a workplace in Quinte West affecting five people. The other transmission cause is pending. A case Wednesday has been linked to close contact.

There are now 27 active cases, with one in hospital (not in ICU) – 13 in Belleville, 10 in Quinte West and four in North Hastings.

The province reported 1,478 new cases of people with the virus on Thursday, and 21 deaths – mostly in Peel, Toronto and York regions.

Provincial public health is expected to announce the latest projections about the trajectory of the virus at a press conference Thursday afternoon – the first since Toronto and Peel went into lockdown, Monday.

Modelling data called ‘optimistic’ two weeks showed Ontario could see as many as 2,500 new daily cases at a growth rate of three per cent, or 6,500 cases if the growth rate was at five per cent.

UPDATE: Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, said the pandemic is flattening in some regions, but varies widely across the province. He noted the growth rate in daily cases in the last few days has been between zero and one per cent but it is “best described as a fragile or precarious situation”.

If Ontario were to maintain its current growth rte, it would see a similar number of daily cases by the end of December as now – around the 1,500 mark.

He warned that on the other end of the scale should the curve not be flattening, the province could see more than 9,000 cases by the end of the year.

Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday, asked residents to plan Christmas celebrations with people in their own household only – with the exception of inviting in a person who lives alone.

Families that want to celebrate together, despite living in different households, can do so virtually or in person while outside, while maintaining physical distancing and wearing masks.

Four new COVID cases; now 28 active cases in Hastings Prince Edward region

NOV. 25: Hastings Prince Edward Public Health reported four new COVID-19 cases Wednesday – one lab-confirmed Monday, and three Tuesday.

Two cases are related to local transmission and one is close contact, while the fourth cause is pending.

As there was one recovery, the overall active case number is 28. There have been 120 cases since March, with 87 recoveries and five deaths in the spring.

Eight new COVID cases; now 25 active cases in Hastings Prince Edward region

NOV. 24: With eight new positive COVID-19 cases reported for Hastings Prince Edward region, active cases have jumped to 25.

Hastings Prince Edward Public health’s website dashboard Tuesday indicates seven cases were from Belleville, one from Quinte West – all attributed to close contact with another positive case. The dashboard still reports two cases in Prince Edward County.

Seven new COVID cases; five recoveries for Hastings Prince Edward region

NOV. 23: Seven new COVID-19 cases over the weekend were listed by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Monday – four Friday, two Saturday and one Sunday.

However, there have been five recoveries reported, which drops the active number of cases to 17, as of Monday, Nov. 23.

The province saw another record tally of 1,589 cases Monday as Toronto and Peel went into lockdown, where most of the cases were reported.

Click here for further details viewing the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health dashboard