WELLINGTON COUNTY – Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) is reporting 13 new COVID-19 cases over the long weekend (July 30 to Aug. 2).
The region’s active case count now sits at 21, down from 27 cases on July 26.
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 over the last three months – from 96.8 in the first week of May to 6.4 as of Aug. 1.
Less than one per cent of COVID-19 tests are now returning positive for the virus (as of Aug. 1).
The region’s effective reproduction number, which is used to measure how many additional cases spread or result from a single case, is sitting at 1.02 as of Aug. 1. A value of one or above means cases will increase; below one and spread will eventually cease.
There are two people hospitalized in the region due to COVID-19 as of July 29, with one in intensive care.
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. 2, Delta represents 2.11% of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in the health region (8,333), 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, between June 13 and July 10, Delta represented 63.6% of the 3,911 cases sequenced across the province.
Between July 4 and 10, WDGPH has 91.7% of its sequenced cases returning positive for Delta, the third highest in the province.
WDGPH estimates the Delta (India) variant as the most prevalent variant of concern (VOC) in the region, representing an estimated 45% of VOCs between July 26 and Aug. 1. In Wellington County, that estimate is 66.7% for the same time period.
Local trends
Wellington County had three new cases reported over the weekend, with total active cases in the county also now sitting at three, down from six a week earlier.
Active cases in Guelph have declined to 16 and Dufferin County has two active cases as of Aug. 3.
The death toll attributed to COVID-19 across the region remains unchanged since July 19’s report: 126 total deaths, including 37 in Wellington County.
Municipality-specific active COVID-19 case counts as of Aug. 3, 2021. (WDGPH image)
Vaccinations
Since July 26, another 2,326 residents in the WDGPH region received their first dose, bringing the total as of Aug. 3 to 220,619 or 81.8% of the population aged 12 or older with at least one dose.
In Wellington County 75% of eligible residents have received at least one dose as of Aug. 3, lagging behind 77.9% in Dufferin County and 87.5% in Guelph.
As of Aug. 3, there are 193,975 eligible residents (71.9%) fully vaccinated, an increase of 12,271 or 6.7% since July 26.
Across the region, 74.6% of high school students have received at least one vaccination dose, while 57.5% are fully vaccinated.
At least 409,554 doses have been administered in the region as of Aug. 3.
Vaccination rates for local high schools as of Aug. 3, 2021. (WDGPH image)
