A record 146 new COVID-19 cases are being reported in the Porcupine Health Unit region today (Dec. 30).
There are 103 people in Timmins, 19 people in the area of Cochrane, Matheson, Iroquois Falls and Smooth Rock Falls, nine in the James Bay area, three in Hearst and Hornepayne, and 12 people in the Kapuskasing area.
To date, there have been 2,911 cases of the virus in the region. Of those, 2,401 are recovered and 31 people have died. There are 479 known active cases, the highest number reported so far during the pandemic. For the known active cases, 356 are in Timmins, 73 are in the area of Cochrane, Matheson, Iroquois Falls and Smooth Rock Falls, 18 are in the Kapuskasing area, 10 are in Hearst and Hornepayne and 22 are in the James Bay area.
According to provincial data, in the north there are currently 28 people with COVID-19 in hospital. There are eight people in ICU and four people on ventilators.
Today, Ontario also set a new record for daily cases with 13,807 being reported.
A disclaimer on the latest update noted increasing COVID case counts driven by Omicron have made testing less available, and it has led to the daily totals being an underestimation of actual infections in Ontario.
Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, difficulty breathing, tiredness, muscle aches and pain, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, abdominal pain, sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, decreased or lack of appetite, headache and pink eye.
There are COVID-19 assessment centres in Timmins, Cochrane, Iroquois Falls, Matheson, Kapuskasing, Smooth Rock Falls, Hearst, and Hornepayne, as well as communities on the James Bay coast.
The Porcupine Health Unit COVID-19 information line can be reached at 705-360-4819 or 1-800-461-1818.
