KENORA – The Northwestern Health Unit reported 12 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, with the number of active cases rising to 62.
Five of the new cases were in the Kenora health hub area, five in the Dryden area, and two in the Sioux Lookout area.
Of the 62 cases active as of Sunday, 29 were in the Sioux Lookout health hub area, 24 in the Kenora area, and 9 in the Dryden area.
Active cases stood at 91 a week earlier, on March 21, and had fallen to 50 by Friday.
There were three district residents hospitalized with the virus as of Friday, with no updated figures provided over the weekend.
The health unit has reported six deaths related to the virus, though it notes that figure includes “those who had COVID-19 at time of death but died of another cause.”
There have been five variants of concern detected in the catchment area, though there are no longer any active variant cases.
The health unit has reported 629 confirmed cases since pandemic began, with 617 of those resolved.
The NWHU’s testing positivity rate stood at 2.15 per cent on 2,375 tests completed for the most recent period reported, March 15 to 21.
As of March 26, there had been 7,570 vaccine doses administered in the NWHU, which serves a total population of 82,231.
Appointments can be made at local vaccine clinics for those born in 1946 and earlier, health care workers, staff in congregate living settings, adult home care recipients, Indigenous adults, and others
The health unit remains in the Red-Control zone, with medical officer of health Dr. Kit Young Hoon saying Friday she would want to see incidence rates decline consistently for at least two weeks before restrictions are eased.
