Local Covid-19 update

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The daily reports of the Leeds Grenville Lanark District Health Unit [LGLDHU] this past week were generally positive; but, sadly, one more person in the region has died in a long-term care facility. The LGLDHU reports on 21 municipalities in the region, and North Grenville is in the LGLDHU East section, which also includes Merrickville-Wolford, Augusta and Edwardsburg-Cardinal.

Between May 20 and May 28, the number of confirmed cases went up by 6, of which 264, or 90% had recovered by the end of last week. This is a really positive statistic, although the number of confirmed cases in the community at large went up by just 1, with the new cases happening in long-term care facilities rising also by just 1, and the number among healthcare workers going up by 4 to a total of 83 since April. Of these 77, or 93%, have recovered. One less positive statistic is that there are now 18 of the 21 municipalities in the LGLDHU reporting confirmed cases, one more than previously listed.

As seems to be true globally, the main focus of cases is in the long-term care facilities. In the last week, the number of care homes affected by outbreaks had been reduced. There were 7 such facilities on May 20, but that figure is now 5: in Perth (2), Carleton Place, Mississippi Mills, and Smith’s Falls. There are no cases in any long-term care facility in North Grenville or Merrickville-Wolford.

As of May 28, there had been 13 confirmed cases in UCLG East, which consists of NG, Merrickville-Wolford, Augusta, and Edwardsburg-Cardinal, of which 9 had recovered. This was an increase in confirmed cases of 3, all in the community, but this remains the area with the lowest number of confirmed cases in the LGLDHU region.

A more positive statistic is that on May 20 it was reported that there was a 68% recovery rate in the LGLDHU overall, while that figure had risen to 90% on May 28. The number of hospitalisations dropped between those two dates, to just 1%. Around a quarter of the deaths, 12 in all, took place in hospitals. The median age of deaths remained steady at 86 years, though 96% of those deaths occurred in the 65+ age range, also unchanged over the week.

As restrictions on movement are gradually lifted across the province, it is essential that we not become complacent, or more lax in abiding by the guidelines issued by the Health Unit. This is a time when, through carelessness, we could easily see a spike in confirmed cases, which would lead, inevitably, to more deaths. Stay safe, stay home whenever possible, and take care of each other.

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