SIOUX LOOKOUT, Ont. – The Northwestern Health Unit reported five new cases of COVID-19 Monday, as the agency warns residents in two areas that more contagious variants of concern area are spreading.
Two of the newest cases were in the Dryden health hub area, two in the Sioux Lookout area, and one in the Kenora area.
The agency has seen daily case counts fall, with only 20 new cases reported over the four-day Easter weekend, but warned residents Sunday evening that more contagious and deadly variants of COVID-19 were spreading in the Dryden and Kenora areas.
One of the variant cases is related to the Valleyview Public School in Kenora, reported on Saturday, the health unit said.
As of Monday, the health unit reported 62 active cases, with 23 in the Sioux Lookout health hub area, 19 in the Kenora area, 16 in the Dryden area, and one each in the Fort Frances and Red Lake areas.
There were seven district residents hospitalized with the virus Sunday, a figure that has remained unchanged since Thursday.
The NWHU had a testing positivity rate of 1.81 per cent on 1,878 tests for the most recent period reported, March 22 to 28
The health unit had an incidence rate of 37.6 cases per 100,000 people for the most recent week reported, March 26 to April 1. That compares to incidence rates of 96.7 in the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and 118.2 across Ontario.
The NWHU has reported a total of 713 confirmed cases since the pandemic began, with 62 active and 651 resolved. That includes six people who died while positive for COVID-19, though the health unit notes the virus was not necessarily the cause of death.
As of Sunday, 11,061 vaccine doses had been administered across the NWHU’s population of 82,231.
The agency announced last week it had limited availability of vaccine clinics as the provincial government opened booking for its residents born in 1951 or earlier. It has assured the public clinics will be available throughout the month of April, however.
