THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay District Health Unit is reporting three new deaths related to COVID-19 in the Thunder Bay district.
It brings the total number of deaths in which the virus was determined to be a contributing or underlying factor to 103, with 33 of those occurring in 2022.
COVID-related deaths in the district have largely, but not entirely, involved individuals 60 and older, with those 80-plus accounting for more than half.
Data from Public Health Ontario shows of 99 COVID-related deaths in the district up to July 16, fully 53 were in the 80-plus age group, 35 in the 60 to 79 group, eight in the 40 to 59 group, and three in the 20 to 39 group.
The number of people in district hospitals with COVID-19 rose slightly from the health unit’s last report on July 21, from 23 to 25. One of those patients was in ICU, unchanged from last week.
The health unit moved to less frequent weekly updates on COVID data earlier this month.
The health unit has reported a steady increase in outbreaks in vulnerable settings – the only place they are now tracked – since the beginning of July. There were seven of those outbreaks active as of Thursday, including at Hogarth Riverview Manor, Southbridge Pinewood, and the Geraldton District Hospital.
It also reported a 17.7 per cent test positivity rate for PCR tests conducted in the district as of July 26, the highest it’s been in July.
There were 216 new cases confirmed over the past week, with 152 active as of Thursday, though the health unit continues to warn with access to PCR tests limited, those numbers significantly underestimate the spread of the virus.
