WELLINGTON COUNTY – Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) is reporting 15 new COVID-19 cases between Oct. 29 and 31.
The region’s active case count sits at 31 as of Nov. 1.
That is down from 53 cases one week ago and marks the region’s lowest active case count since mid-August.
The case rate per 100,000 population has, as of Oct. 30, dropped to 11.2 from 17.3 reported a week ago.
The rate of COVID-19 tests returning positive for the virus has fallen from 2% on Oct. 14 to 1.2% as of Oct. 28.
The region’s effective reproduction number, used to measure how many additional cases spread or result from a single case, dropped to 0.81 as of Oct. 30 after remaining above one for much of October. A value of one or above means cases will increase; below one and spread will eventually cease.
There are two people in the region hospitalized with COVID-19, one of which is in an ICU as of Oct. 28. Their vaccination status is not known.
According to provincial data, as of the morning of Nov. 1, there are 156 unvaccinated persons hospitalized with COVID-19 across the province, of which 66 are in an ICU.
Fully vaccinated individuals account for 49 hospitalizations across the province, with 13 in an ICU.
Delta variant
As of Nov. 1, the Delta variant represents 38.4% of the 1,225 COVID-19 cases confirmed in the health region since the variant was first reported publicly here on June 15.
On June 14, Public Health Ontario (PHO) began allowing all positive COVID-19 samples to be sent for whole genome sequencing, the only way to truly determine how many cases of Delta there are within local health units.
According to PHO data, Delta represented the vast majority (99.5%) of all 1,494 positive COVID-19 tests that had their DNA sequenced between Sept. 12 and Oct. 9.
During that time frame, the majority of those Delta variant cases (65.3%) were detected in unvaccinated persons.
Over the same time period, labs sequenced 38 positive cases originating from WDGPH, with all returning positive for Delta.
Delta represents an estimated 66.7% of cases in Wellington County between Oct. 24 and 30. Region-wide, that estimate is 60%.
Local trends
Wellington County had five newly-confirmed cases reported over the weekend reporting period, with 16 total active cases in the county as of Nov. 1, down from 24 reported cases on Oct. 25.
Active cases in Guelph and Dufferin County are sitting at nine and five, respectively.
The death toll attributed to COVID-19 across the region remains unchanged from last week’s total of 127.
Municipality-specific active COVID-19 case counts as of Nov. 1, 2021. (WDGPH image)
Vaccinations
Since Oct. 18, another 1,778 residents have become fully vaccinated with two doses in the WDGPH region, bringing the total as of Nov. 1 to 232,638 or 85.7% of the population aged 12 or older.
That’s an increase of less than one per cent over last week.
There are 7,140 residents who have received one dose as of Nov. 1.
Vaccination rates across Wellington County municipalities as of Nov. 1, 2021. (WDGPH image)
According to Ontario’s COVID-19 Advisory Science Table data, as of Nov. 1, there were 63 new cases every day per million people in those unvaccinated, compared with three cases per day in those fully vaccinated.
The data concludes there’s an 95.1% risk reduction of contracting a case with two vaccine doses.
In Wellington County 78.5% of eligible residents are two-dose vaccinated as of Nov. 1.
According to WDGPH data tracking vaccination uptake across county municipalities, at least 7,418 or 70% of Erin’s 10,598 residents are fully vaccinated. In previous weeks, less than 70% of Erin residents had two doses.
Mapleton continues to linger behind, with less than 70% of its residents fully vaccinated.
Across the region, there are an estimated 11,385 high school students who are vaccinated with two doses; 389 with only a single dose; and 2,111 students who have not yet received a single dose.
In elementary schools falling within the WDGPH catchment area, there are an estimated 4,647 eligible elementary school students at least 12 years-old who are vaccinated with two doses; 259 with only a single dose; and 1,274 students who have not yet received a single dose.
Vaccination rates for all public and private elementary and secondary schools in the WDGPH catchment area as of Nov. 1, 2021. (WDGPH image)
Outbreaks
A previous outbreak declared at Erin Dental Centre has ended as of Oct. 29.
As of the morning of Nov. 1, two schools within the WDGPH catchment area have reported four active cases. Both schools are outside of Wellington County.
