This is the Thursday, February 18, 2021 coronavirus update. Active cases in Oakville are up again today, including the first confirmed B117 case. Nine new cases are reported from schools in Halton, closing eight classrooms. There were four more deaths in the region, but none in Oakville.
In a rare occurrence, Ontario reports no new institutional outbreaks today. Active cases and ICU patients are down but hospitalizations are way up. Toronto Mayor John Tory wants to extend the shutdown in Toronto and Peel, while other regions are asking for less strict assignments in Ontario's coloured framework.
Canada sets a new goal, lowering the number of vaccinations they expect to complete by the end of June. Global cases reach a cumulative 110 million.
Note: Oakville figures are updated seven days a week with Ontario and Global cases. Schools do not update on weekends.
Oakville and Halton COVID-19 update
- Halton Region has confirmed the first case of the B.1.1.7 variant in Oakville
- Three more cases of the B.1.1.7 variant (the one identified in the U.K.) have been detected in Halton, bringing the total to five
- Oakville's active cases are up again today, but Halton's as a whole are down
- Changes are coming to Oakville Transit and town recreation now that the Red-Control level allows more reopening
- Halton updates the percent positivity to only 2.8% (down 1.3% from two weeks ago, but still not low enough to move into the Orange-Restrict level)
- Cases in Halton schools go from only two to 11 today (a 450% increase)
- Eight Halton classrooms were closed today
Changes in figures are since the Oakville News update on February 17, 2021.
- 82 active cases - plus 2
- 9 patients at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital - minus 1
- 1 confirmed case of the B.1.1.7 variant - plus 1
- 2,886 total cases (confirmed and probable) - plus 13
- 58 deaths - no change
- 2,746 recoveries (95.1% of all cases) - plus 11
- 2,804 completed (recoveries+deaths) cases - 97.1% of cases
- 6 outbreaks - minus 2
Oakville LTC & Retirement home COVID-19 Status
Below is an updating table of data from long-term care and retirement homes in Oakville:
Status in Halton
- 253 active cases - minus 11
- 25 cases in hospitals across Halton - minus 2
- 5 confirmed "variant of concern" cases - plus 3
- 9,138 total cases (confirmed+probable) - plus 45
- 189 deaths - plus 4
- 8,696 recoveries (95.1% of all cases) - plus 52
- 8,885 completed (recoveries+deaths) cases - 97.1% of cases
- 25 outbreaks - minus 4
Note: Halton Region's recovery count is combined into one number with probable, now closed cases. This total includes some cases that were not coronavirus recoveries.
Local schools update
- 6 active cases in Oakville - plus 5
- 11 active cases in Halton - plus 9
- 9 Halton classrooms closed - plus 8
Ontario COVID-19 update
- Several experts are warning Ontario's leadership not to ease COVID-19 health restrictions; fearing a third wave led by international variants
- Toronto Mayor John Tory said today he wants Toronto and Mississauga's lockdown extended into March: "I have never been as worried about the future as I am today."
- Hospitalizations are considerably up, but ICU and ventilator patients are considerably down
- In a rare occurrence, Ontario reports no new institutional outbreaks today
Changes are from yesterday’s figures. Information released as of February 18, 2021 for the end of yesterday.
- 10,702 active cases - minus 283
- 758 people hospitalized - plus 39
- 499,800 vaccinations - plus 10,400
- 348 confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 (U.K.) variant - plus 10
- 289,621 confirmed cases - plus 1,038
- 272,146 recovered cases - plus 1,277
- 6,773 deaths - plus 44
- 278,919 resolved cases (deaths & recovered) or 96.3%
- 56,165 tests conducted, coming back 2.2% positive
- 277 people in ICU - minus 21
- 192 people on ventilators - minus 19
Summary of Institutional Outbreaks (Long Term Care Homes, Retirement Homes, Hospitals)
- 272 active, ongoing outbreaks - minus 23
- 2,354 total outbreaks reported - no change
Cases in schools
- 312 cases reported in the last two weeks - plus 97
- 7,700 cases reported since September 1, 2020
- 214 schools with at least one active case (4.5%) - plus 62
- 4 schools closed - no change
Earlier today, Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, and Dr. Dirk Huyer, coordinator of the provincial outbreak response, provided an update on trends to the province’s pandemic response.
Canada COVID-19 update
- Federal government reduces their goal of vaccinations by the end of June from 15-18 million to 14.5 million
- Pfizer's next shipment of doses to Canada has been delayed by the weather
- Infectious disease expert and epidemiologist Colin Furness says "An ugly third wave of COVID-19 is inevitable" in April; another says it won't be a wave, but instead "a forest fire"
- Researchers in New Mexico have discovered the first recombinant COVID-19 variant; a mix of two other variants that commonly occurs in viruses
- The United Kingdom has vaccinated nearly 25% of the population
- Global cases reach a cumulative 110 million
Changes in Canadian figures are since the last Oakville News update, February 17, 2021. With the high number of cases nationwide and globally, all numbers are approximate (within 0.1% of the total.)
- 32,400 active cases - minus 700
- 1.34 million+ people vaccinated (3.6% of population)
- 836,400+ confirmed and suspected cases
- 21,487 deaths - plus 62
- 782,500+ recoveries - plus 2,900
United States coronavirus update
- 27.9 million total cases
- 491,500+ deaths
- 56.3 million+ vaccinations (16.9% of people)
Global coronavirus update
- 110.15 million total cases
- 2.43 million deaths
- 185.4 million+ vaccinations (2.4% of people)
Sources:
