Alirod Ameri via Foter.com
This is the Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 coronavirus update. Halton reports 189 new cases today. The number, however, comes from Ontario's public epidemiology report; Halton Regional Health does not report new COVID-19 on weekends.
Despite the explosive growth in new cases, Oakville and Halton's hospitalizations have not changed in three days, though there is often a delay between new cases and hospital admissions. The reproduction number of new cases in Halton has now risen to 1.8, meaning cases are reproducing at the fastest rate in 15 months.
Ontario reports over 2,000 active cases added to the provincial total today. Premier Ford and Dr. Kieran Moore announced several measures yesterday to limit community spread starting tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021. A full list of the new rules coming tomorrow can be read here. Some rules include:
- Indoor and outdoor gatherings will be capped to 10 and 25 people respectively
- Several venues (like restaurants, bars, sports and entertainment venues) will be capped at 50%
- Food and drink services will be prohibited at sporting events, theatres, casinos and more
The most effective tool in slowing Omicron, according to Ford and Moore, is getting fully vaccinated and a booster dose as soon as possible. Everyone age 18 and older will be eligible to book a booster vaccine dose (with a shortened window between dose two and three) beginning this coming Monday, Dec. 20, 2021.
Canada's active increase are up by more than 5,000 for the second day in a row. Other provinces like Quebec, B.C., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba all announced new public health measures yesterday similar to (or even stricter) than Ontario's.
The federal government has issued an advisory for all Canadians to avoid non-essential inter-provincial and international travel and re-instated molecular testing for all arrivals to Canada, both effective immediately.
NIAID via Foter.com
**Vaccine booking update: Halton is now booking first and second dose vaccinations for all residents age 5 and older, plus third dose boosters for some groups.
Booster doses and appointments for children must be made in advance, but first and second doses for those 12 and up are available on a walk-in basis.
All vaccines approved for use in Canada effectively protect you against COVID-19 and all known variants of concern.
Note: Oakville News updates are published at least five days a week, sharing new Halton data from Tuesday to Friday and Ontario, Canada, and globally Monday through Saturday.
Oakville and Halton COVID-19 update
- Halton Region yesterday, for the first time, reported over 200 new cases of COVID-19
- The region does not report new information on weekends (but Ontario's epidemiology report shows Halton had 189 cases on Friday, second only to Thursday's record of 201 new cases)
- Despite the explosive growth in new cases, Oakville and Halton's hospitalizations have not changed in three days
- The reproduction number of new cases in Halton has now risen to 1.8, meaning cases are reproducing at the fastest rate in 15 months
- Halton has resumed walk-in appointments of first and second doses for those age 12 and up
Summary of local vaccinations
- 76% of all Halton residents are fully vaccinated
- 81% of all residents have received at least one dose
- 984,744 total vaccine doses have been administered - plus 6,613
- 58,068 booster doses administered - plus 5,015
Changes in figures are since the Oakville News update on Dec. 17, 2021.
- 259 active cases - plus 57
- 2 patients at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital - no change
- 6,811 total cases (confirmed and probable) - plus 68
- 69 deaths - no change
- 6,483 recoveries - plus 11
- 6,552 completed (recoveries+deaths) cases - 96.2% of cases
- 2 active outbreaks - no change
Status in Halton
- 755 active cases - plus 145
- 5 cases in hospitals across Halton - no change
- 21,657 total cases (confirmed+probable) - plus 201
- 245 deaths - no change
- 20,657 recoveries - plus 56
- 20,902 completed (recoveries+deaths) cases - 96.5% of cases
- 11 active outbreaks - no change
School cases
- Oakville: 38 total cases across 13 different schools (no changes)
- Halton: 136 total cases (+12) across 50 different schools (+1)
Note: Halton Region combines its recovery count into one number with probable, now closed cases. This total includes some cases that were not coronavirus recoveries. Halton Region does not release the names of businesses with active outbreaks.
Ontario COVID-19 update
Ontario announced a long list of new rules and regulations to combat the incredibly fast spread of the Omicron variant in the province. A full list of changes tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, can be read at this Oakville News story by clicking here.
- Ontario adds over 2,000 active cases to its total today
- Everyone age 18 and older will be eligible to book a booster vaccine dose (with a shortened window between dose two and three) beginning this coming Monday, Dec. 20, 2021
- Starting tomorrow, indoor and outdoor gatherings will be capped to 10 and 25 people respectively
- Testing positivity has gone from 3.5% to 8.9% in the last ten days
- Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, says without a 50% or more reduction in contacts, ICU admissions will reach "unsustainable levels by early January" 2022
- 1 in 4 of all schools in the province are reporting active COVID-19 cases
- 80.46% of all eligible Ontarians (age 5 and older) are fully vaccinated
Summary of provincial vaccinations
- 12.09 million people have received at least one vaccine dose (81.55% of total pop.)
- At least 11.35 million people are fully vaccinated (76.59% of total pop.)
- 25.17 million vaccine doses administered (first, second and third) - plus 168,900
Changes are from figures in our last update. The province released this information on Dec. 18, 2021, as of the end of yesterday.
- 17,882 active cases - plus 2,090
- 358 people hospitalized - plus 30
- 645,766 confirmed cases - plus 3,301
- 617,773 recovered cases - plus 1,207
- 10,111 deaths - plus 4
- 627,884 resolved cases (deaths & recovered) or 97.5%
- 54,407 tests were conducted with a positive rate of 8.9%
- 154 people in ICU - minus 3
- 99 people on ventilators - plus 1
- 27 active, ongoing institutional outbreaks - plus 4
Note: institutional outbreaks count only hospitals, retirement homes and long-term care homes.
Summary of School Cases
- 11,204 total cases in schools - plus 339
- 9,893 student cases - plus 285
- 1,123 staff cases - plus 48
- 1,236 schools with confirmed cases currently - 25.52% of those in Ontario
- 72 schools currently closed - plus 12
Summary of Variants of Concern (VOC)
These numbers are for the number of people who tested positive and further testing confirmed their specific case is one of a particular variant of concern. All totals are only for cases since November 1, 2021.
- No new cases of the Alpha, Beta or Gamma variants
- 14,224 confirmed cases of Delta variant - plus 405
- 218 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant - plus 28
Canadian and Global COVID-19 updates
- Canada's active increase are up by more than 5,000 for the second day in a row
- Effective immediately, all international arrivals to Canada must have a negative molecular test result, regardless of citizenship of length of trip
- Other provinces like Quebec, B.C., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba all announced new public health measures yesterday similar to (or even stricter) than Ontario's
- Cumulative deaths in Canada surpassed 30,000 people on Thursday
- The Federal government has issued an advisory for all Canadians to avoid non-essential inter-provincial and international travel
- Research from the University of Hong Kong and health officials in South Africa say the Omicron variant infects and reproduces 70 times faster than Delta, but creates a less severe infection
- Canada ends its travel ban from ten African countries due to Omicron
Summary of national vaccinations
- 31.40 million people have received at least one vaccine dose (82.12% of total pop.)
- At least 29.27 million people are fully vaccinated (76.55% of total pop.)
- 64.83 million total doses administered - plus 324,300
- 4.14 million booster doses administered
Changes in figures are since the Oakville News update on Dec. 17, 2021. With the high number of cases nationwide and globally, all numbers are approximate (within 0.1% of the total.)
- 53,846 active cases - plus 5,147
- 1,557 active hospitalizations - plus 58
- 1.87 million confirmed cases to date
- 1.79 million recoveries - plus 3,066
- 30,040 deaths - plus 15
- Ranked 85th in global deaths per capita at 79.89 per 100,000 people
US COVID-19 Update
- 50.47 million cumulative cases
- 800,939 deaths - plus 2,062
- 61.3% of the total population is fully vaccinated
- Ranked 20th in global deaths per capita at 244.84 per 100,000 people
World COVID-19 Update
- 271.96 million cases - plus 545,200
- 5.33 million people have died worldwide
- At least 8.66 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide (source: Our World Data)
The evidence is clear: vaccination is the best way to be protected. Local, provincial, national and international health units all affirm the same data that Canada's approved vaccines are effective at protecting you from COVID-19 and significantly reducing your risks of getting sick, going to hospital, and dying from the disease.
In Ontario alone, there is a noticeable difference in those with and without vaccines (as of Monday, Dec. 14):
Science Table - COVID-19 Advisory for Ontario
Current COVID-19 risk in Ontario by Vaccination Status
Canada's Medical Officer of Health provides a recap on the current state of the pandemic, and also calls on governments to implement strategies to increase our resilience against further health challenges.
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