As of Friday, December 11, there were 292 active cases of COVID-19 under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU).  There have been 1,067 cumulative cases under EOHU jurisdiction since the pandemic began and 32 deaths.  As of Friday, eight COVID-19 patients under EOHU jurisdiction were in hospital and one of those patients was in intensive care.

All municipalities under EOHU jurisdiction will be under the Ontario government`s Orange-Restrict designation for COVID-19 control effective at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, December 14 due to the recent steady increase of cases across the territory.

EOHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said on Friday that the total numbers are more indicative of a red zone, but the various sources of infection allow the EOHU territory to still be classified as an orange zone.

“I’m a bit discouraged we’re in orange,” said Roumeliotis.  However, he noted that the situation parallels trends being seen in other parts of Ontario, Canada, and the world.

COVID-19 cases in schools under EOHU jurisdiction have increased during the past week.  As of Friday, the most significant school outbreak was at the Al-Rashid Islamic Institute, a religious boarding school at the eastern edge of Cornwall on Highway 2 where 43 people in a school dormitory had tested positive for COVID-19.  Roumeliotis said on Friday that they do not yet know how the outbreak originated but it may have been due a contact outside the school that a staff member had.

There were also COVID-19 cases at the following schools under EOHU jurisdiction as of December 11.  Two or more cases in a school is an official outbreak, unless otherwise stated.  The source of the numbers is from information provided by school boards and the Ontario government list which is updated daily.

One student at Laggan Public School

One individual at Glengarry District High School in Alexandria

One student at École secondaire publique le Sommet in Hawkesbury

Five students and eight staff members at École élémentaire catholique St-Isidore

Two students at École élémentaire catholique St-Viateur in La Nation

One student at École élémentaire catholique de Casselman Pavillon Sainte Euphémie

One student at École secondaire catholique de Casselman

One student at Tagwi Intermediate School in North Stormont

One staff member at École élémentaire catholique La Source in North Stormont

One student at École élémentaire catholique Saint-Trinité in Clarence-Rockland

Two students and one staff member at École élémentaire catholique Embrun Pavillon St-Jean/Pavillon La Croisée

One student at Mother Theresa Catholic Elementary School in Russell

One student at École élémentaire publique De la Rivière Castor in Russell

One staff member at Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School in South Glengarry

Two students at Bishop Macdonell Catholic School in Cornwall

One student at North Dundas Intermediate School in Winchester

The following childcare centres under EOHU jurisdiction had cases of COVID-19 as of December 11

One child and one staff member at Centre éducatif au Jardin des Calins in Limoges

One child at Young Achievers and Where Children Grow-Bishop in Cornwall

Long-term care outbreaks

As of December 11, the COVID-19 outbreak at the Prescott and Russell Residence in Hawkesbury remained in effect, but there had been no recent changes to the case numbers.  COVID-19 cases remained active in nine residents and one staff member as of Friday.

COVID-19 outbreaks were also in effect as of December 11 at The Palace Long Term Care in Alexandria, Heritage Heights in Cornwall, at St. Joseph’s Continuing Care (Quinn House) in Cornwall, Royal Manor Rest Home in Cornwall, and Parisien Manor in Cornwall.  There is also a COVID-19 outbreak at the Tsiionkwanonhso:te Long-Term Care facility in the Canadian portion of the Akwesasne first nation.

Ontario situation

There were 16,283 active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario as of December 10, according to the Ministry of Health.  There were 1,848, or 1.4 per cent more active cases on December 10 than on December 9.

The Ministry reported that 116,432 or 85.2 per cent of cumulative cases were resolved as of Thursday.  Resolved cases do not include deaths.

There were 808 COVID-19 patients in hospital across Ontario as of December 10.  Out of those 808 patients, 235 were in intensive care, and 124 patients were on ventilators.

There had been 3,916 deaths due to COVID-19 across Ontario as of December 10, comprising 2.9 per cent of all cumulative cases.

Active COVID-19 cases under EOHU jurisdiction, December 11, 2020.

Map: Eastern Ontario Health Unit

EOHU COVID-19 media briefing for Friday, December 11, 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3hFSVhwsSE