COVID-19 testing rates in Northern Ontario are higher than the south, according to the Porcupine Health Unit's epidemiology report.
Each week the Timmins-area heath unit has been gathering local data and comparing it to stats from health units across the north and provincially.
There have been 307 confirmed cases of the virus in Northern Ontario, nine of which are active. There are four reported active cases at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, three in the Northwestern Health Unit region, and one each in the Porcupine Health Unit and North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit areas.
This week's epidemiology report includes data up until the end of day June 5.
Of the 11 virus-related deaths in Northern Ontario, the Timmins region accounts for more than half with seven fatalities.
The PHU case fatality rate is 10.8 per cent, which is higher than the provincial rate of 8 per cent. The local health unit also has a higher resolved rate than the provincial average, with 87.7 per cent of local cases being recovered whereas the provincial rate is 79.3 per cent.
According to the the PHU report, the numbers across the north as of June 5 were:
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Algoma Public Health - 21 confirmed cases, which is the same as last report, and no deaths. The tests per 100,000 population are 6,918, with 0.3 per cent being positive.
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North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit - 29 confirmed cases, which is an increase of two from the last report, and one death. The case fatality rate is 3.4 per cent. The tests per 100,000 are 5,971.3 with .4 per cent being positive.
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Northwestern Health Unit - 22 confirmed cases, which is an increase of one from the last report, and no deaths. The tests per 100,000 are 5,547.7, with 0.5 per cent being positive.
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Porcupine Health Unit - 65 positive, which is the same as the last report. There have been seven deaths, and the fatality rate is 10.8 per cent. The tests per 100,000 population are 6,589.2, with 1.3 per cent being positive.
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Public Health Sudbury and Districts - 64 confirmed cases, which is the same as the last report. There have been two deaths, with the fatality rate being 3.1 per cent. The tests per 100,000 population is 6,531.1, with 0.5 per cent being positive.
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Thunder Bay District Health Unit, 83 confirmed cases, which is an increase of two from the last report. One person has died, making the fatality rate 1.2 per cent. The tests per 100,000 population are 7,838, with 0.8 per cent being positive.
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Timiskaming Health Unit, 18 confirmed cases and no deaths. The testing per 100,000 population is 7,030.3 with 0.8 per cent being positive.
For all of Northern Ontario, when the report was completed there were 302 confirmed cases, which is five more than the June 1 report. There have been 11 deaths, with the fatality rate being 3.6 per cent. The testing rate per 100,000 population is 6,649.6, with 0.6 per cent being positive.
Northern Ontario's rates are much lower than southern Ontario, where there have been 29,445 cases and 2,361 deaths (or a case fatality rate of 8 per cent). The testing per 100,000 population in southern Ontario is 5,453, with 3.9 per cent of test being positive.
Altogether in Ontario at the time the numbers for the report were pulled, there had been 29,747 cases and 2,372 deaths. The testing rate per 100,000 was 5,518.7, with 3.7 per cent being positive.
The full report is available here.
– TimminsToday
