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COVID-19 (2019 Novel Coronavirus)

Breadcrumbs
 

Current situation

Reopening Halton safely and protecting the community

As restrictions are lifted and the economy reopens, it is more important than ever to follow public health direction and take personal responsibility to protect yourself, loved ones and the community (refer to the Protect yourself and others tab on this page).

  • Entering Stage 3: Halton Region moved to Stage 3 of the Framework for Reopening our Province (external link) on July 24. This stage allows nearly all businesses and public spaces to gradually reopen with restrictions in place, while some high-risk venues and activities remaining closed until they can safely resume operations. Learn more on the Reopening Halton Region page or read the media release. 
  • Mask By-law: Halton Regional Council passed By-law 47-20 (PDF file), making it mandatory to wear a non-medical mask or face covering in certain indoor public places. Some individuals may be exempt from the by-law. Please be kind and support each other. Learn more on the Reopening Halton Region page. 
  • Class order: The Halton Region Medical Officer of Health issued a class order under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act requiring residents with COVID-19, those considered probable cases and all associated close contacts to stay home for 14 days and self-isolate. To learn more, refer to our class order fact sheet.

Getting tested

As of May 26, 2020 all residents who have at least one COVID-19 symptom, or are concerned that they have been exposed are encouraged to get assessed and tested at an Assessment Centre (see Assessment and testing).

COVID-19 Social and Community Supports - Thumbnail
COVID-19 Social and Community Supports Find information and resources supporting social and community assistance needs during COVID-19.
Mental Health - Thumbnail
Mental Health Learn more about the mental health promotion support available in Halton Region.
COVID-19 Resources for Businesses - Thumbnail
COVID-19 Resources for Businesses Find supports, services and relief programs that can assist business owners during COVID-19.
Access to Regional Services during COVID-19 - Thumbnail
Access to Regional Services during COVID-19 Unforeseen events may cause a disruption to services at Halton Region public facilities.
Reopening Halton Region - Thumbnail
Reopening Halton Region Information and resources to support residents, businesses and the community as Halton reopens.

Current cases in Halton

Data in the tabs below are updated Monday to Friday (excluding holidays).

Last update: Friday, August 14 at 12:40 p.m.

Please note that as of July 17, Halton Region Public Health is currently in the process of adopting a new provincial COVID-19 database. During this transitional period, all counts should be considered preliminary and are subject to change as information is reconciled.

Our new data visualization tool helps you better understand the evolving situation by allowing you to select case information that matches your interests. To learn more about using the tool, click "dashboard help" . To see the standard case tables, select from the tabs above.

Data notes

Data Sources:

  • Halton case data: Case and Contact Management system (CCM), extracted at 7:00 AM on August 14, 2020, to reflect data entered by the end of the day on August 13, 2020.
  • Halton lab testing data: Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Number of individuals who were confirmed positive for COVID-19, COVID-19 Testing Period: 15 Jan 2020 to 8 Aug 2020. Received on August 11, 2020..

General:

  • All data are dynamic and subject to change with future updates.
    • CCM is a dynamic disease reporting system which allows ongoing updates to data previously entered.
    • As a result, data extracted from CCM represent a snapshot at the time of extraction and may differ from previous or subsequent reports.
    • Data are updated once per day on weekdays, excluding statutory holidays.
    • The changes in the case counts reflect the change from the last update and show how much higher or lower the count is compared to the most recently published data. The change does not reflect when cases’ symptoms began.
    • As data are not updated on weekends, the changes in case counts can be expected to be higher on Mondays and Tuesdays, as new cases reported on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are captured.
    • Based on information gathered while doing case investigation, numbers may increase or decrease daily to reflect our most up to date information.
  • Probable cases are individuals presumed to have COVID-19 because they have symptoms of COVID-19 and are travelers returning from an affected area, have had close contact with a confirmed case, lived/worked in a facility experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, or had indeterminate test results.
  • All data includes only individuals whose main usual residence is in Halton Region. Cases who have municipality information pending are excluded.
    • Active cases, resolved cases and deaths are a subset of total cases.
    • Cases are considered to be active if the case is open in CCM and not listed as resolved.
    • Resolved cases are persons who have been discharged from isolation at 14 days after symptom onset if they did not have a fever and their symptoms were improving for at least 72 hours OR 14 days from when they were tested if they were asymptomatic. For cases with no significant improvement in symptoms, Public Health continues monitoring until the case meets resolution criteria and the case is closed in CCM. For cases in hospital, a test-based approach may be used and isolation is continued until 2 consecutive negative tests are obtained, at least 24 hours apart.
  • Deaths include any death that occurred among a person who tested positive for COVID-19, even if the death may not have been directly attributable to COVID-19.
  • The dashboard provides the ability to view cases using either episode date or reported date. Reported date is the date the case was reported to Public Health. Episode date is a field that is intended to approximate the symptom onset date for each case. It is calculated hierarchically, using symptom onset date if available; when it is not available, specimen collection date is used; if neither symptom onset nor specimen collection date are available, the lab test date is used; and finally, if none of these other dates are available, the date the case was reported to Public Health is used.
  • Exposure type is determined by examining the risk factor fields in CCM to determine whether a case travelled, was a resident/patient or staff member in an institution/congregate care setting/workplace experiencing an outbreak inside or outside Halton, was a contact of a case or neither. A hierarchy has been applied as follows:
    • Cases with episode date before April 1: Travel > Associated with any type of outbreak (institutional, congregate care, or workplace) in or outside of Halton > Close contact of a confirmed case > None of the above (indicating community acquisition) > Information pending.
    • Cases with episode date on or after April 1: Associated with any type of outbreak (institutional, congregate care, or workplace) in or outside of Halton > Close contact of a confirmed case > Travel > None of the above (indicating community acquisition) > Information pending.
    • It is important to note that cases can have multiple exposures, and these data reflect only their primary exposure category.
  • Differences between municipalities have not been assessed for statistical significance. Prior to the expansion of testing in May, known cases reflected only individuals who were prioritized for testing, which means that differences between municipalities are currently difficult to ascribe to other factors.
  • Case outcomes (recoveries, deaths) reflect the latest available information reported to Halton Region Public Health and recorded in CCM by the extraction time.

Institutional outbreaks:

  • Our main priority in outbreak management is prevention. Ensuring appropriate measures are being taken by the institutions requires time, in addition to collecting information on the status of the residents.
  • Institutional outbreaks include outbreaks of COVID-19 in settings such as long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals and prisons. Outbreaks in congregate care settings (e.g. group homes) and workplaces are not included.
  • Date declared for outbreaks reflects the outbreak classification date in CCM.
  • Outbreaks may be listed with zero confirmed cases in residents/patients, because an outbreak can be declared if there is a confirmed case in one or more staff members. The number of cases among staff members has not been included because it can be difficult to track, since many staff members live outside Halton and are managed by the health unit where they reside.

Lab testing data:

  • Lab testing data reflects only lab tests that have been assigned to Halton Region based on the methodology used by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. There are several known limitations associated with this data:
    • The unit of analysis is the testing episode (unique individuals tested per day). Individuals tested multiple times on different days are counted once in each week’s counts for the appropriate weeks. Testing episodes after the individual's first confirmed positive COVID-19 test were excluded from subsequent weekly counts (numerator and denominator).
    • The COVID-19 test results were captured in the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS). The testing date represents the date of specimen collection: “observation date” in OLIS. Due to the time required for transportation and processing of specimens, it takes six days for approximately 95% of results to be finalized and reported for a given testing date. Some laboratories did not report all or part of their COVID-19 test results to OLIS. Unconsented test results were excluded;
    • Counts less than six are suppressed;
    • The location of tested individuals was based upon the test recipient’s postal code (and corresponding health unit) recorded in the OHIP Registered Persons Database (RPDB) for those residing outside a long-term care (LTC) facility, and the LTC address on the OLIS test requisition for specimens collected from LTC facilities. These address assignments lead to misclassification of PHU in approximately 14% of individuals
 

Map of COVID-19 cases by neighbourhood in Halton Region

 

Crude incidence rates of COVID-19, confirmed and probable cases not associated with institutional or congregate care setting outbreaks, per 10,000 population, by neighbourhood, Halton Region. Mapping data are updated weekly; data below accurate to end of day on Sunday, August 9, 2020.

Area Crude rate per 10,000
Ontario 23.5
Halton 14.5

Please select a neighbourhood on the map below to view rate information. To search for an address, please view in Google Maps (external link).

Rates per 10,000 population

  0.1 - 9.9
  10.0 - 19.9
  20.0 - 39.9
  Bronte Park

 

Data notes

Neighbourhood maps

  • Data extracted from CCM at 7 a.m. on August 10, 2020, with data current to end of day on August 9, 2020. All data are dynamic and subject to change with future updates.
  • Rates have been calculated using 2016 census estimates as the denominator. However, these rates should be viewed as estimates since many Halton neighbourhoods have experienced significant population growth since the 2016 census was conducted. This means that the number of COVID-19 cases in the numerator may be consistent with how many residents are actually living in the neighbourhood, but the denominators may be low since they have not changed since the 2016 census. This can result in rates per 10,000 that are overestimated.
  • Neighbourhoods in the map are based on neighbourhoods developed by Our Kids Network as part of a consultative process that took into account census, natural, municipal, and regional boundaries, while considering borders and names that would be meaningful to residents. For more information, please see the Neighbourhood Profiles page of the Our Kids Network website.
  • Rates per 10,000 were calculated because most neighbourhoods have between approximately 10,000 and 40,000 residents. This allows the rates to be accurately interpreted with respect to case counts. The area surrounding Bronte Park has no cases due to few individuals residing in that area.
  • Halton rates exclude cases among staff or residents of institutions or congregate care settings experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. The Ontario rate excludes cases among residents or staff of a long-term care home experiencing an outbreak.
  • These rates are crude rates, meaning they do not take into account demographic differences between neighbourhoods (for example, differences in age distribution).
  • The crude rates were calculated using the cumulative cases in each neighbourhood since the start of the pandemic. Including only active cases would result in low counts that may be identifying.
  • As case counts are low, most rates have wide associated confidence intervals, and so are not necessarily statistically significantly different from each other, nor from the overall Halton rate.
  • Cases of COVID-19 that could not be assigned to a neighbourhood (for example, due to inaccurate or missing address information) have been excluded from the maps and table (<5%).
  • Only includes cases with a diagnosing health unit of Halton (meaning the case primarily resides in Halton).

Surveillance reports

 

Halton’s COVID-19 Surveillance Reports provide a weekly summary of COVID-19 cases in Halton. It includes information on cases over time, demographics, exposure sources, outcomes, institutional outbreaks, lab testing and comparison to Provincial statistics.

View latest report

Please note that the province will be transitioning Halton Region Public Health to a new provincial COVID-19 database on Friday, July 17.

 

Sign up for weekly COVID-19 updates

Form - Email *

COVID-19 health advice

  • Most people with COVID-19 infection will develop mild symptoms and will recover on their own at home.
  • The risk of severe illness and outcomes is higher for older adults and those with weakened immune systems and underlying medical conditions (diabetes, heart and lung disease).
  • For a list of tip sheets and resources on COVID-19, such as cleaning and disinfection, guidelines for self-isolation or taking care of yourself and others, visit Public Health Ontario (external link).
  • For more information about COVID-19, email accesshalton@halton.ca or call 311. Translation is available in multiple languages.

Getting assessed and tested

Residents who have at least one COVID-19 symptom or are concerned that they have been exposed are encouraged to get assessed and tested at an Assessment Centre.

  • Residents of Oakville, Milton or Halton Hills: Call 905-203-7963 to book an appointment at a Halton Healthcare Assessment Centre.
  • Residents of Burlington: Call 905-632-3737, extension 6550 or visit covidtesting.josephbranthospital.ca (external link) to book an appointment at Joseph Brant Hospital COVID-19 Assessment Clinic or drive-thru clinic. The drive-thru clinic is dedicated to testing individuals without symptoms while the Assessment Centre is dedicated to testing individuals who are experiencing symptoms.

In order to maintain physical distancing and avoid crowding, testing is by appointment only at Assessment Centres. There are no walk-in Assessment Centres in Halton Region.

Other options for assessment:

If you have COVID-19 related questions, email accesshalton@halton.ca or call 311.

Awaiting test results

  • It may take up to five days to receive test results.
  • If tested in Halton region, access your test results by:
    • using the provincial online portal (external link) (note: you cannot view test results using the Internet Explorer browser); or
    • contacting your family doctor (if their family doctor's contact was provided when getting tested).
  • If tested at the Joseph Brant Hospital Assessment Centre, you can also access test results through MyChart portal (external link).
  • If tested at Halton Healthcare Assessment Centre and online results are not available after five days, access test results by calling 905-203-7963.
  • Halton Region Public Health only receives positive test results and will follow up accordingly with those individuals and their close contacts.

Self-isolating while waiting for results

  • If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of smell and taste, extreme tiredness or fatigue), you are required to self-isolate at home until you receive your results (see Self-Isolation section on this webpage).
  • Your close contacts, including members of your household, should also self-isolate until you receive your results.
  • You are not required to self-isolate while waiting for your test results if you:
    • do not have COVID-19 symptoms;
    • are not a close contact of someone with COVID-19; and
    • have not recently travelled outside of Canada (unless you are exempt).

Positive test results

  • Halton Region Public Health will contact all positive cases directly.
  • You are required to self-isolate at home for 14 days from when your symptoms began (see Self-Isolation section on this webpage).
  • If you do not have any symptoms, then you are required to self-isolate for 14 days from the date you were tested.
  • If your symptoms worsen while self-isolating (for example, you have difficulty breathing) call 9-1-1. Tell them about your COVID-19 diagnosis to ensure you receive appropriate care and the correct precautions are taken.
  • Re-testing is not required for you to return to work or other regular activities after self-isolation.

Negative test results

  • If you were identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 and/or you have recently travelled outside of Canada (unless you are exempt), you are required to self-isolate at home for 14 days from the date you were last exposed to the individual with COVID-19 (see Self-Isolation section on this webpage).
  • If you have not been identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19, but have COVID-19 symptoms, it is recommended that you self-isolate until you are symptom-free for 24 hours.
  • If you develop new or worsening symptoms, you may need to be re-tested.
  • A negative test result does not mean that you can’t get infected with COVID-19 in the future. Continue to follow public health measures to protect yourself and others (see Protect yourself and others tab on this webpage).

Serologic testing

Serologic testing detects antibodies that are produced in response to a viral infection of COVID-19. On May 12, 2020, Health Canada authorized the first COVID-19 serological test for use in Canada. Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (external link) is leading the collection of samples to be tested. Local Public Health Units currently do not have access to this test.

At this time, serologic testing is only available in Ontario for limited clinical purposes. Serologic testing is not to be used for screening and diagnosis of acute COVID-19 infection, or used to determine a person’s immune status.

Currently, in Canada, laboratories are using nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) to diagnose COVID-19. This test detects genetic material from the COVID-19 virus.

Additional information

How Halton is responding

Halton Region Public Health is working to protect the safety and health of all Halton residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest evidence from local data suggests that physical distancing and other public health measures are helping to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the region. Learn how Public Health is protecting residents and what you can do to stay safe.

Halton Region Public Health:

  • educates the public (individuals, organizations, businesses) regarding steps they can take to reduce the spread of COVID-19;
  • provides infection prevention and control recommendations and guidelines to support local organizations and businesses throughout the stages of reopening;
  • assesses the risk among residents with symptoms and determines what further care is required;
  • coordinates testing (when required) at an appropriate location;
  • ensures those who are showing symptoms understand how to reduce the risk of transmission to others; and
  • provides guidance to cases and their contacts, such as self-isolation protocols and monitoring for symptoms to minimize the risk of spread.

Outdoor recreational amenities

Halton Region moved to Stage 3 on July 24, 2020. This stage allows for outdoor playgrounds, play structures and equipment to reopen, along with the following outdoor recreational amenities permitted to reopen in Stage 2:  

  • indoor and outdoor public swimming pools, outdoor splash pads and wading pools (check with your local municipality for reopening dates)
  • outdoor sports facilities and multi-use fields
  • off-leash dog areas
  • outdoor picnic sites, benches and shelters in parks and recreational areas
  • public and private campgrounds for recreational vehicle, car camping and all other types of camping
  • adventure activities such as paintball, mini-golf, archery ranges, and Go-cart tracks

Effective July 24, 2020, sports and recreational facilities can open and team competitions (scrimmages and games) can resume. Sports in which body contact between players is integral or frequent (for example, wrestling or judo) are not permitted unless the approach can be modified to prevent prolonged or deliberate physical contact.

Most provincial parks and conservation areas are now open. 

Residents must continue to practice physical distancing if visiting outdoor recreational spaces unless they are members of the same household or social circle. 

Staying active during COVID-19

Physical activity and getting fresh air are important for our overall physical and mental wellness. For most residents, it is safe to go outside for a walk, run or bike ride, or play in the park; others may need to stay on their private property for their own safety and the safety of the community.

Follow the instructions below:

Your situation Can I go outside in my private property (backyard, balcony or porch)? Can I go for a walk, run or bike ride off my private property?
I have tested positive for COVID-19 Yes No
I have symptoms of COVID-19 (even if mild) Yes No
I have returned from travel outside Canada in the past 14 days (unless you are exempt) Yes No
I am a close contact of a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 Yes No
I am over 70 years of age Yes Yes, however, please be aware that you are at increased risk for severe illness associated with COVID-19
I am immunocompromised or have underlying medical conditions Yes Yes, however, please be aware that you are at increased risk for severe illness associated with COVID-19
All other Halton residents (except those listed above) Yes Yes, but only if you stay 2 metres (6 feet) from those outside your social circle and have no symptoms of COVID-19

Other steps you can take to reduce your risk while being active outside:

  • Maintain 2 metres (6 feet) distance from others. You may need to change your route or the time of day that you go out in order to keep this distance.
  • Step aside or pass others quickly and courteously on sidewalks.
  • Do not enter spaces that are barricaded or have signage indicating the area is closed.
  • Keep your dog on a leash.

Remember to wash your hands when you return home.

Enforcement of closures, orders and guidelines

  • To report an incident of non-compliance with the provincial emergency orders in Halton, please call the Halton Regional Police Service COVID-19 hotline at 905-825-4722.
  • The hotline will accept non-compliance reports for the following Provincial emergency orders:
  • A police officer or by-law officer will follow up to address the situation and describe the importance of the emergency measures. If necessary, the officer will issue a ticket or summons.
  • Halton residents can also report non-compliance with public health recommendations involving food premises and/or personal service settings by calling the Halton Regional Police Services COVID-19 Enforcement Hotline. All complaints will be forwarded to Halton Region Public Health for follow-up by a Public Health Inspector within one business day. After-hours calls will be returned the next regular business day.
  • Please call 911 for emergencies only. To report non-compliance with Regional by-laws or to contact Halton Region Public Health, please call 311.

Federal orders and directives

To prevent COVID-19 from spreading, Canada has put the following travel measures in place:

  • advising all Canadians to postpone or cancel all non-essential travel;
  • restricting all non-essential travel at the Canada-U.S. border;
  • banning entry of most foreign nationals entering Canada by air;
  • preventing symptomatic passengers from boarding a plane to Canada; 
  • redirection of the vast majority of international passenger flights to four airports (external link);
  • encouraging staff and passengers travelling by air, bus/motor carrier, rail, marine or air to wear a non-medical mask or face covering as much as possible, especially when physical distancing is not possible; 
  • requiring passengers to demonstrate they have the necessary face covering or non-medical mask before they are permitted to board an aircraft; and
  • requiring anyone entering Canada to self-isolate for 14 days, even if they do not have symptoms, under the Quarantine Act (external link), except those who are exempt (for example, cross-border workers).

Non-essential travel includes travel that is considered tourism or recreational in nature.

 

Media updates and announcements

August 2020

July 2020

June 2020

May 2020

April 2020

March 2020

February 2020

January 2020

December 2019

  • December 31 - Health authorities in Wuhan, China first report cases of undiagnosed viral pneumonia. The cause is confirmed as a new coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV or new coronavirus, which has not previously been identified in humans. For updated information on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), visit the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Coronavirus Infection: Symptoms and treatment webpage (external link).


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