CORNWALL, Ontario – The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) added 71 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Dec. 28 after adding nearly 400 over the Christmas weekend for a total of 902 active cases.
The flood of new cases comes as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 takes hold on the province of Ontario, which reported 8,825 new cases province wide on Tuesday.
Despite the higher number of confirmed active COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations so far remain low, with only five people in area hospitals with COVID-19 and one person in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The EOHU’s COVID-19 testing centres remain open but appointments are required. The province did not provide any locations within the EOHU with free rapid anti-gen testing, although some pharmacies may be offering their own testing services.
The most common way that cases are being transmitted is through household contacts, with workplaces and schools being the next most common locations for transmission of the virus.
There are currently 14 institutions in the EOHU that are experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. One long-term care facility in Cornwall, one in SD&G, and three in Prescott-Russell are currently experiencing outbreaks, as are two schools in Cornwall and six in Prescott-Russell. One daycare in Prescott-Russell is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak.
COVID-19 cases in the EOHU region are distributed as follows: 210 in Cornwall, 12 in the northern portion of Akwesasne, 40 in South Glengarry, 72 in South Stormont, 27 in South Dundas, 48 in North Dundas, 24 in North Stormont, 30 in North Glengarry, 14 in East Hawkesbury, 94 in Hawkesbury, 60 in Champlain, 29 in The Nation 14 in Casselman, 88 in Russell, 89 in Clarence-Rockland, and 51 in Alfred and Plantagenet.
Since March of 2020 there have been 134 deaths caused by COVID-19 in the EOHU region.
As of Dec. 20, every person in Ontario aged 18 and older is eligible to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which will provide better protection against the Omicron variant. Booster shot appointments can be booked through the Ontario COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling 1-833-943-3900.
