WELLINGTON COUNTY – Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) is reporting 23 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend (Aug. 6 to 8).
The region’s active case count now sits at 47, a rise from 21 cases on Aug. 3 and the highest total since July 12.
Active cases in the region peaked on April 18 with a record high of 679.
The region’s case rate per 100,000 population has dropped drastically since reaching 96.8 during the first week of May. But the case rate is inching back up from 6.4 on Aug. 1 to 11.5 as of Aug. 7.
On Aug. 1 less than one per cent of COVID-19 tests were returning positive for the virus, but that rate has increased to 1.3% as of Aug. 5.
The region’s effective reproduction number, which is used to measure how many additional cases spread or result from a single case, has also increased, sitting at 1.41 as of Aug. 7. A value of one or above means cases will increase; below one and spread will eventually cease.
Despite the reversal of a decline in cases, there are no people hospitalized in the WDGPH region due to COVID-19 as of Aug. 5.
Variants
On June 10, the province declared the WDGPH region a COVID-19 “hotspot” due to the presence of the Delta variant. Since then, the number of confirmed cases of the variant has been on the rise.
As of Aug. 9, Delta represents 2.2% of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in the health region (8,366), according to Public Health Ontario data.
On June 14, the provincial health agency began allowing all positive COVID-19 samples to be sent for full genome sequencing, the only way to truly determine how many cases of Delta there are within local health units.
According to PHO data, the proportion of Delta cases across the province rose from 77% (July 4 to 10) to 86.8% between July 11 and 17.
Of all 3,353 positive COVID-19 tests which had their DNA sequenced between June 20 and July 17 across the province, 76.1% were positive for the Delta variant.
From July 11 to 17, all positive COVID-19 tests in the WDGPH region returned positive for Delta.
More up-to-date localized data shows, however, Delta representing an estimated 33.3% of variants-of-concern between Aug. 1 and 7. In Wellington County, that estimate is 37.5% for the same time period.
Local trends
Wellington County had two new cases reported over the weekend, with seven total active cases in the county – up from three last week.
Active cases in both Guelph and Dufferin County have increased to 18 and 16, respectively.
The death toll attributed to COVID-19 across the region remains unchanged since last week’s report: 126 total deaths, including 37 in Wellington County.
Municipality-specific active COVID-19 case counts as of Aug. 9, 2021. (WDGPH image)
Vaccinations
Since Aug. 3, another 6,518 residents have become fully vaccinated with two doses in the WDGPH region, bringing the total as of Aug. 9 to 200,493 or 74.3% of the population aged 12 or older. That’s an increase of 3.3% from a week ago.
There are 21,646 residents who have received only their first dose as of Aug. 9.
In Wellington County 68.7% of eligible residents are two-dose vaccinated as of Aug. 9, slightly ahead of 68.6% in Dufferin County, but significantly behind 80.3% in Guelph.
Across the region, there are an estimated 8,603 high school students who are vaccinated with two doses; 1,870 with only a single dose; and 3,381 students who have not received a single dose.
At least 417,381 doses have been administered in the region as of Aug. 9.
Vaccination rates for local high schools as of Aug. 9, 2021. (WDGPH image)
