CORNWALL – The Eastern Ontario Health Unit region saw a “big jump” in what is believed to be a record number of coronavirus cases added in a single day not related to an outbreak.
There were 20 newly confirmed cases in Prescott-Russell, 18 in Cornwall, four in SD&G and one in Akwesasne for a total of 43.
“I think we had a record of number of cases added that are outside of a major outbreak,” Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis told reporters Friday afternoon. “I think that is a record for us.”
With the rolling average infection rate at nearly 28 cases per 100,000 population, Roumeliotis says he is “quite worried about that” and it could push the region into the Orange-Restrict level, since it’s above the watershed value of 25 cases per 100,000.
“I am worried about these numbers,” he reiterated.
While most of the cases in Cornwall and Prescott-Russell are traceable and have a epidemiological link, Roumeliotis says it’s a “huge burden of illness and infection” on the region.
In Cornwall for instance, four cases are tied to one household, three are at the Al Rashid Islamic Institute boarding school and at least six others are contacts with a positive case under the same roof. In Prescott-Russell, Roumeliotis added that it’s also people bringing the virus back from “trips to Quebec, trips to Montreal and so on.”
“We need to be very aware of the link, so there’s an epi-link, however the numbers are overwhelming,” he said.
The number of active cases went up by 43 to 178 while the number of resolved cases was unchanged at 734.
Here’s the breakdown of cases:
- Prescott-Russell – 597 cases (90 active)
- SD&G – 147 cases (32 active)
- Cornwall – 162 cases (51 active)
- Akwesasne (ON/QC) – 36 cases (five active)
The number of deaths to date is 31. Six people are in hospital, one more than Thursday. There are four active outbreaks, one more than Thursday.
Testing increased by 510 to 85,201.