As Ontario battles through the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Algoma region has not been spared from the impacts of the virus.
According to data pulled from an Ontario government website, the majority of cases reported in the region have been linked to close contact with another positive case.
The data on the website shows both the age and gender of all confirmed cases in the province, providing additional details on positive cases in the region that are not shared publicly by Algoma Public Health.
Back in SooToday's November data update, when there were only 56 confirmed cases of the virus in the region, 31 females and 25 males had tested positive for the virus, and majority of the cases were in the 20-29 and 60-69 age groups.
In our March update, the data indicated that 74 females and 54 males tested positive for the virus at that time. The majority of the cases were again divided between the 20-29 age group and the 60-69 age group.
There were only 12 cases reported in the under-20 age group. That number has since doubled.
The majority of cases now are among the 20-29 age group and the 30-39 age group.
Here's how the data breaks down today by age and gender for Algoma's positive cases of COVID-19 since March 16, 2020:
- A total of 148 females (58.27 per cent), 105 males (41.34 per cent) and one gender unspecified (0.94 per cent) have tested positive for the virus.
- 59 cases are in the 20-29 age group (32 female, 27 male)
- 39 cases are in the 30-39 age group (23 female, 16 male)
- 38 cases are the 40-49 age group (25 female, 13 male)
- 35 cases are the 60-69 age group (17 female, 18 male)
- 30 cases are the 50-59 age group (20 female, nine male, one unspecified)
- 27 cases are in the under the age of 20 group (16 female, eleven male)
- 18 cases are the 70-79 age group (10 female, eight male)
- Six cases are the 80-89 age group (Four female, two male)
- Two cases are in the 90-99 age group (One female, one male)
Outcomes have been:
- Four deaths
- Two males and one female in the 70-79 age group, and one male in the 20-29 age group
- Two of the deaths were outbreak-related, and two have 'no known epidemiological link'
- 226 resolved
- 24 not resolved, or currently active
In terms of transmission, of all 254 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region:
- 116 are close contact with a confirmed case
- 61 have no known epidemiological link
- 54 are outbreak-associated
- 14 cases are travel-related
- Nine are missing information or unknown
In area schools and child care centres, since Sept. 5, 2020, when the ministry started reporting COVID-19 cases in publicly funded schools:
- A positive case was reported in a staff member at F.H Clergue on Jan. 13
- A positive case was reported in a staff member at Parkland day care on Jan. 13
- A positive case was reported at R.M Moore Public School on Jan. 17
- Cases were associated with Central Algoma Secondary School on March 14
- Positive cases were linked to St. Mary's College on April 4
- A positive case was linked to Korah Collegiate on April 6
Variants of Concern have been reported in Elliot Lake and Area as well as Sault Ste. Marie and area. There have been no variants of concern reported in Central and East Algoma or North Algoma. There is evidence of community spread in all Algoma regions with the exception of North Algoma.
To date, the largest increase in cases was the week of Dec. 28, when 34 cases were reported.