WDGPH reporting 32 new COVID-19 cases over weekend

WELLINGTON COUNTY – Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) is reporting 32 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend (Oct. 15 to 17).

The region’s active case count now sits at 81 and its case rate per 100,000 population has increased from 17.3 on Oct. 10 to 21.8 as of Oct. 16.

The rate of COVID-19 tests returning positive for the virus has risen from 1.4% on Oct. 8 to 2% as of Oct. 14.

The region’s effective reproduction number, used to measure how many additional cases spread or result from a single case, is holding at 1.04 as of Oct. 16 after sitting at the same on Oct. 10. A value of one or above means cases will increase; below one and spread will eventually cease.

There are five people in the region hospitalized with COVID-19, two of which are in an ICU as of Oct. 13. Their vaccination status is not known.

According to provincial data, as of the morning of Oct. 18, there are 176 unvaccinated persons hospitalized with COVID-19 across the province, of which 76 are in an ICU.

Fully vaccinated individuals account for 49 hospitalizations across the province, with 18 in an ICU.

Delta variant

As of Oct. 17, the Delta variant represents 39.1% of the 1,131 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 (99.2%) of all 3,696 positive COVID-19 tests that had their DNA sequenced between Aug. 29 and Sept. 25.

Over the same time period, labs sequenced 72 positive cases originating from WDGPH, with all returning positive for Delta.

Delta represents an estimated 66.7% of cases in Wellington County between Oct. 10 and Oct. 16. Region-wide, that estimate is 55.9%.

Local trends

Wellington County had nine newly-confirmed cases reported over the weekend, with 18 total active cases in the county as of Oct. 18.

Active cases in Guelph and Dufferin County are sitting at 26 and 35, respectively.

The death toll attributed to COVID-19 across the region remains unchanged from last week’s report of 127.

Municipality-specific active COVID-19 case counts as of Oct. 18, 2021. (WDGPH image)

Vaccinations

Since Oct. 12, another 1,929 residents have become fully vaccinated with two doses in the WDGPH region, bringing the total as of Oct. 18 to 229,969 or 84.3% of the population aged 12 or older. That’s an increase of less than one per cent over last week.

There are 9,155 residents who have received one dose as of Oct. 18.

Vaccination rates across Wellington County municipalities as of Oct. 18, 2021. (WDGPH image)

According to Ontario’s COVID-19 Advisory Science Table data, as of Oct. 18, there were 95.6 new cases every day per million people in those unvaccinated, compared with 14 cases per day in those fully vaccinated.

The data concludes there’s a 85.4% risk reduction of contracting a case with two vaccine doses.

In Wellington County 77.3% of eligible residents are two-dose vaccinated as of Oct. 18.

According to WDGPH data tracking vaccination uptake across county municipalities, Wellington North still leads the way for the largest share of a municipality’s residents having two doses.

Upwards of 9,704 residents could be fully vaccinated, with WDGPH reporting between 85 and 89 per cent of 10,904 Wellington North residents with two doses.

Centre Wellington, with its significantly larger population, still has the largest representation of people vaccinated with upwards of 22,896 of 27,226 residents with two doses.

Mapleton and Erin continue lingering behind, with less than 70% of their residents fully vaccinated.

Across the region, there are an estimated 11,038 high school students who are vaccinated with two doses; 582 with only a single dose; and 2,230 students who have not yet received a single dose.