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COVID outbreak at North Bay jail reaches 60 cases

Back in June, the Solicitor General's office confirmed to BayToday that the North Bay Jail would be closing for at least two weeks as the facility dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak
BayToday Staff
jail, north bay turl 2016
North Bay and District Jail. Photo by Jeff Turl.

The North Bay Parry Sound Health Unit confirms on its website that the North Bay Jail on Trout Lake Road now has 60 confirmed cases of COVID in its latest outbreak.

No other details are available but BayToday has made contact with the Solicitor General's office for comment.

Back in June, the Solicitor General's office confirmed to BayToday that the North Bay Jail would be closing for at least two weeks as the facility dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak.  

"In consultation with the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, and to ensure the safety and well-being of both correctional services staff and those in provincial custody, the ministry has decided to temporarily close the North Bay Jail for a minimum of 14 days," stated Andrew Morrison, Media Relations with the Ministry of the Solictor General, in an email to BayToday at the time.

See: North Bay Jail getting back to normal after COVID-19 outbreak

And: COVID-19 to force North Bay Jail to temporarily close

The Health Unit says two people are presently hospitalized.

Public Health Ontario is reporting 7,951 new COVID cases today, however, that total is likely an underestimate according to the province. 

Today's report includes clarification on the number of patients in ICU with a COVID-related critical illness.

Increasing COVID case counts driven by the omicron variant have made testing less available and daily totals are underestimated. Testing is limited to certain high-risk groups, leaving symptomatic individuals to isolate but not get a test to confirm whether they have COVID. 

The Jan. 11 updates provided by the province's public health agency and the ministry of health also reported the following data:

Cases

  • 9,893 recoveries and 21 deaths since yesterday's report.
  • There are 138,560 active, lab-confirmed cases, down from 140,523 reported yesterday.
  • The new cases reported today include 1,061 unvaccinated people, 250 partially vaccinated people, and 6,257 fully vaccinated people, 383 cases were reported with vaccination status unknown. 
  • The seven-day average by vaccination status indicated 59 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated people, 46 cases per 100,000 partially vaccinated people, and 80 cases per 100,000 fully vaccinated people. 

Hospitalizations

  • 3,220 people are in hospital testing positive for COVID-19, however that number is incomplete as more than 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals don't report to the bed census for the Sunday and Monday reports. It's not clear how many people were hospitalized for COVID-19. The province has said changes will be made in how these numbers are reported in the coming days.
  • Included in the hospitalizations are 552 unvaccinated cases, 123 partially vaccinated cases, and 1,612 fully vaccinated cases. 
  • There are 477 patients in Ontario ICUs with COVID-related critical illness, and 250 of them are on ventilators.
  • Included in the ICU counts are 138 unvaccinated cases, 14 partially vaccinated cases, and 158 fully vaccinated cases.

Testing

  • The province reported 45,451 tests were processed yesterday, resulting in a 24.4 per cent positivity. Another 94,223 tests are still being processed. 

As of today's report, 11.4 million people in Ontario (77 per cent of the population) are fully vaccinated, and five per cent of the province has one dose of COVID vaccine. There are 4.8 million people in Ontario with three doses of vaccine.

Public Health Ontario has confirmed 896,248 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and reported 747.289 recoveries and 10,399 deaths.

The cumulative average incidence rate in the province is 6,082.9 cases per 100,000 people in Ontario.

Ontario's average seven-day incidence rate from Dec. 31 to Jan. 6 was 639.7 cases per 100,000 people, which increased 2.4 per cent over the seven-day period starting on Dec. 25.

For more on the province's breakdown of vaccination status, click here.

As of today's report, 11.4 million people in Ontario (77 per cent of the population) are fully vaccinated, and five per cent of the province has one dose of COVID vaccine. There are 4.8 million people in Ontario with three doses of vaccine.

Public Health Ontario has confirmed 888,297 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and reported 737,396 recoveries and 10,378 deaths.

The cumulative average incidence rate in the province is 6,082.9 cases per 100,000 people in Ontario.

Ontario's average seven-day incidence rate from Dec. 31 to Jan. 6 was 639.7 cases per 100,000 people, which increased 2.4 per cent over the seven-day period starting on Dec. 25.

For more on the province's breakdown of vaccination status, click here.

Northern Ontario 

According to provincial data, in the north there are currently 85 people with COVID-19 in hospital. There are 15 people in ICU and nine people on ventilators.

In Northern Ontario, the breakdown of Public Health Ontario data for cases and vaccination is:

  • Algoma Public Health: The health unit has reported 2,684 cases and 754 known active cases. There are 14 people in hospital, including one person who is from out of region but in Algoma. Of the eligible population five years and older, 87 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 81 per cent have both doses. Of the population 18 years and older, 43 per cent have a booster.
  • North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit: The health unit has reported 2,079 cases. and 269 known active cases. There are two hospitalizations. Of the eligible population five years and older, 84 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 79 per cent have both doses. For the eligible population 18 years and older, 45 per cent have a booster.
  • Porcupine Health Unit: The health unit has reported 3,581 cases and 2,711 known active cases The health unit does not report hospitalizations. As of Jan. 10, there were 22 people hospitalized at Timmins and District Hospital with COVID-19, four of whom were admitted for COVID-related reasons. Of the eligible population five years and older, 87 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 81 per cent have both doses. For the eligible population 18 years and older, 41 per cent have a booster.
  • Public Health Sudbury and Districts: The health unit has reported 7,057 cases and 1,004 known active cases. There are 25 COVID-positive patients at Health Sciences North, including five in ICU. Of the eligible population five years and older, 87 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 81 per cent have both doses. For the eligible population 18 years and older, 42 per cent have a booster.
  • Timiskaming Health Unit: The health unit has reported 827 cases and 109 known active cases. There are five hospitalizations. Of the eligible population five years and older, 84 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 78 per cent have both doses. For the eligible population 18 years and older, 47 per cent have a booster.
  • Northwestern Health Unit: The health unit has reported 2,475 cases and 365 known active cases. There are seven hospitalizations. Of the eligible population five years and older, 94 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 85 per cent have both doses. For the eligible population 18 years and older, 45 per cent have a booster.
  • Thunder Bay District Health Unit: The health unit has reported 5,151 cases and 308 known active cases. There are 10 hospitalizations. Of the eligible population five years and older, 87 per cent of people have at least one dose of the vaccine and 81 per cent have both doses. For the eligible population 18 years and older, 38 per cent have a booster.

The data from Northern Ontario health units is based on what was available at 10:30 a.m. today.