COVID-19 in Huron and Perth

• This is not a real-time tool but is meant to keep the community informed on trends we are seeing.
• Due to provincial changes in testing and case management as of December 31, 2021, not all cases of COVID-19 will be detected, investigated, or reported. Therefore the number of people in Huron Perth who actually have COVID-19 will be much higher than reported.
• The confirmed positive count is a cumulative total, and includes any resolved cases or fatalities. Some cases may be reassigned geographic areas as we receive more information.

• Changes to data reporting in April, 2022:

  • The change in number of cases from the previous day will no longer appear. You can see daily counts of confirmed cases on the time trends tab in the dashboard.

  • The total healthcare worker count no longer includes the number of hospitalizations or deaths since these data can be found in the following tables: Treated in Hospital for COVID-19 and All Huron Perth Deaths by Sector.

  • We are now reporting the percent of PCR tests that are positive for COVID-19 rather than the percent of people who test positive for the virus, due to changes in how the data are analyzed. Please see the time trends tab on the dashboard for the full explanation.
  • Weekly test positivity is based on a Sunday-Saturday week. Data may be incomplete and subject to change until after the week has ended.
• Please note that information on past (declared over) outbreaks in Huron Perth are no longer reported. To view this information, please see the HPPH COVID-19 Closed Outbreaks dashboard. Also note that as of December 31, 2021, we no longer declare school, childcare, workplace or community outbreaks.
• You may view provincial data on the COVID-19 data page and on the Science Advisory Table's dashboard.
• We also report the province's estimate of the total number of tests taken in Huron and Perth counties. This number will include repeat tests on the same individual.

• As of April, 2022, data in the dashboard are updated mid-afternoon Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Data publishing may be impacted by statutory holidays; when this is the case, it will be noted on this webpage.
• Data are current as of 10:00 a.m. the same day.

Wastewater surveillance is an additional tool to learn more about the COVID-19 situation in Huron Perth, but please note there are several limitations to the data. Only the Stratford and Goderich wastewater treatment plants are included in the initiative, representing about 28% of the population in Huron Perth. Therefore, the data are not reflective of the whole region. 

Wastewater surveillance involves taking samples of raw sewage and looking for things in it like bacteria, viruses, drugs and other chemicals.  When someone is sick with a virus (such as COVID-19) there will be copies of the virus in their urine and stool and this can be detected in the wastewater from a community.

Wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 is one of many tools being used in Ontario and elsewhere to help monitor the spread of the virus and support the pandemic response.  By testing samples of raw sewage, we can see whether COVID-19 is present in the population and track disease trends.

• This is not a real-time tool but is meant to keep the community informed on vaccine administration and coverage. 
• The number of people reported as vaccinated may vary due to:
  • Reassignment of postal code to a Public Health Unit
  • The source of data used in a table (e.g., number of vaccines administered in Huron and Perth, or Huron and Perth County Residents only)
  • Data not being available, e.g., age and gender
  • Data cleaning (reviewing and correcting any incorrect/duplicate information) locally and at the provincial level.
  • Pharmacy reporting. Pharmacies receive vaccine supply directly from the Province and are responsible for their own data.
• Please note: Information on deaths and the provincial reassignment of postal codes on county borders may result in adjustments of vaccination coverage rates. 

• The Ontario Government makes vaccination data available to HPPH. The Government uses an individual’s postal code to assign them to their Public Health Unit (PHU). Some records may have been assigned incorrectly to one of our surrounding PHUs. Similarly, residents from other PHUs might have been incorrectly assigned to HPPH.

• The health card address is used to assign individuals to a PHU. If a person has moved or studies in a different PHU. this person is assigned to the PHU of their health card address.

• Differences between HPPH Vaccination Dashboard and other websites could be due to differences in processing the data by:

  • Using a different denominator
  • Including only records where the Health Unit is noted
  • Using date of birth to determine age at the time of vaccination versus year of birth

Data Sources:

• COVID-19 immunization data were extracted from IntelliHEALTH based on what is entered into the Ontario Ministry of Health’s COVaxON application

• 2020 Population Estimates, Statistics  Canada, Released Summer 2021, updated December 3, 2021. 

As of April 2022, vaccination coverage data will be updated weekly on Tuesdays. The data are current as of the preceding Monday.