This is Oakville's coronavirus update for Saturday, December 23, 2023. Every reported metric of COVID-19 transmission in Oakville and Halton has worsened in this past week leading up to Christmas, including an exploding number of new cases, testing rates, hospitalizations and seniors care outbreaks.
Halton is averaging 20 new COVID-19 cases per day, up more than 25% from just last week. Outbreaks have more than doubled from five to now 11 throughout the region.
Worst of all is the number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19: in just the last seven days, the number of patients in Halton hospitals with COVID-19 has quadrupled from 12 to 48. That's an average of five new patients per day.
Testing positivity remains high in Halton, with 21.3% of PCR tests coming back positive. While an average of 20 new cases are being confirmed daily in Halton, that only tracks those confirmed by a PCR test - the number is almost certainly much higher when counting unreported rapid test results.
After a promising boost in vaccine boosters over the last month, new vaccination rates in Oakville and Halton have again begun to slow down.
1 in 6 Halton residents are up-to-date on their correct dosage. But a significant majority of that group are seniors: among those under age 60, less than than 10% of the population has had a booster dose this year.
Because the latest Omicron subvariants EG.5 and XBB are now present and infecting cases in southern Ontario and across Canada, Halton's recent vaccination rates have been skyrocketing upwards, now at 1.65 million doses. New subvariant EG.5 and XBB focused boosters are now available Ontario-wide.
Canada confirmed a staggering 6,300 new cases of coronavirus this week - the biggest 7-day increase in almost a year. New coronavirus hospital admissions continue to outpace discharges nationwide.
The worldwide case total to date, as predicted, has now surpassed 770 million cases recorded worldwide since the start of the pandemic. Confirmed global deaths are approaching 7 million people, though the real count of unofficial deaths is millions higher.
**Vaccine booking: All doses and booster doses are now available for anyone in Halton age 5 and up. First doses are available for those six months and older.
While Halton's vaccine clinics are now closed, most pharmacies and health care centres are offering all numbered doses and boosters to patients.
New data from Halton Regional Health this week:
Halton is averaging 20.0 new COVID-19 cases per day, an approximate 25% increase from last week's 15.9 average daily cases.
- There are 11 active outbreaks in Halton (6 more than last week)
- 21.3% of locally administered COVID-19 tests are coming back positive (5.7% more than last week)
- 48 people are being treated in hospital with COVID-19 (36 more than last week)
Vaccinations in Halton Region:
- At least 1.66 million doses have been administered in Halton
- 93% of Halton residents have at least two doses (the primary series)
- 17% of eligible Halton residents (age 12+) are up to date on their booster shots (have had the primary series and a booster dose in the last six months)
- 46% of eligible residents have a primary series and a booster more than six months ago
Canadian COVID-19 Update:
- Canada has had 4.64 million cumulative cases of COVID-19
- There are 639,500 active cases in Canada (+6,300 this week)
- 4,133 people are currently in hospital (+26 this week)
- There are 51,806 deaths to date (+75 this week)
- 82.61% of Canadians have at least two doses of vaccine
- 51.63% of Canadians are vaccinated including one or more booster doses
Global COVID-19 Update:
- U.S. hospitalizations are up 10.4% this past week, a large increase from last week
- U.S. deaths have increased 3.4% this week
- Americans with up-to-date with all recommended vaccine booster doses are no longer being reported by the CDC
- 772.83 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic started; 6.98 million people have died
- 430,000 people worldwide have been infected in the last seven days
The evidence is clear: though transmission has dramatically slowed, vaccination (including all recommended booster shots) is still the best way to be protected from contracting COVID-19.
Local, provincial, national and international health units affirm the same data that Canada's approved vaccines and all boosters effectively protect you from COVID-19 and significantly reduces your risk of getting sick, going to the hospital, and dying from the disease.
Sources:
- Halton Region (and halton.ca/covid19)
- Halton Healthcare
- Joseph Brant Hospital
- HDSB COVID Advisory Page
- The Government of Ontario dashboard
- Public Health Ontario COVID-19 Data Tool
- Government of Canada
- COVID-19 Vaccination Tracker Canada
- The U.S. Centre for Disease Control
- Our World in Data
- Johns Hopkins University Research Centre
- World Health Organization
Update: a previous version of this story incorrectly said that Halton vaccine clinics were still open for appointments. Vaccines are available at most local pharmacies and health care centres.