By Sue Tiffin Fourteen variants of concern have been identified in COVID-19 cases in the region, that number more than doubling last week from five last Monday to 12 on Friday, and 14 by Monday.…
Vaccine roll-out picking up speed
By Sue Tiffin The following are brief reports from the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge district health unit press conference with Dr. Ian Gemmill, acting medical officer of health, held on Feb. 24. Thousands of vaccines…
Six additional variants of concern identified in health…
By Sue Tiffin Staff reporter This story was updated after a regularly scheduled Feb. 24 press conference held by Dr. Ian Gemmill, acting medical officer of health for the Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Pine Ridge district,…
Second Talk with the Doc scheduled for March…
By Sue Tiffin Members of the public can now connect directly with the health unit’s acting medical officer of health and have questions related to COVID-19 and the ongoing pandemic answered in ‘Talk with the…
Board of health advocates for paid sick day…
By Sue Tiffin Acknowledging the difficulty in staying at home and self-isolating for people who do not have paid sick leave benefits, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge district health unit’s board of health unanimously supported…
Students displaying symptoms told to self-isolate for 10…
By Mike Baker The Ontario government has introduced changes to the COVID-19 school screening protocol, now calling on students who display even a single symptom to stay home for at least 10 days, or until…
AH reopens office to public
Coming out of provincial lockdown, the Township of Algonquin Highlands is reopening its administrative office on North Shore Road to the public, although meetings will be strictly by appointment for the time being. The office…
Hyland Crest outbreak declared over
By Chad Ingram A COVID-19 outbreak that had been declared at the Hyland Crest long-term care facility in Minden on Jan. 31 was declared over on Feb. 14.The outbreak was declared after two essential caregivers…
Lockdown over, but risk not diminished: MOH
By Sue Tiffin The following are brief reports from a Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge district health unit press conference held virtually Feb. 10. As of Feb. 16, Ontario’s stay-at-home orders will be lifted and public…
ASES grad committee still working for students
By Darren Lum Published Feb. 17, 2021 Despite the swirling uncertainties of what will and what won't happen this school year, the Archie Stouffer Elementary School graduation committee is pushing forward with efforts to fund…
Hyland Crest residents and staff test negative for…
By Chad Ingram Residents and staff of the Hyland Crest long-term care facility in Minden have tested negative for COVID-19.At press time, Hyland Crest remained under a declared outbreak after two essential caregivers tested positive…
County to remain in lockdown until Feb. 16
By Mike Baker The provincial stay-at-home order will remain in place for residents of Haliburton County for at least another week.Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Monday [Feb. 8] that the lockdown had been extended…
MOH says most of the nine LTC outbreaks…
By Sue Tiffin As of last Wednesday, the public health unit was responding to nine outbreaks at long-term care homes, including one at Hyland Crest in Minden where two essential caregivers tested positive.Gemmill said of…
Hyland Crest residents test negative for COVID-19
By Chad Ingram Residents of the Hyland Crest long-term care facility in Minden have tested negative for COVID-19. Hyland Crest remains under a declared outbreak after two essential caregivers tested positive for the virus. Haliburton…
‘If someone’s saying there’s no coronavirus in Haliburton,…
By Sue Tiffin The following are brief reports from a Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge district health unit press conference held virtually Jan. 27. Dr. Ian Gemmill, acting medical officer of health, noted that Haliburton County…
COVID-19 outbreak declared at Hyland Crest
By Sue Tiffin A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden on Sunday [Jan. 31]. Two essential caregivers have tested positive for the virus. The outbreak is the first for…
First doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrive in health…
By Mike Baker The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit received its first allocation of COVID-19 vaccine on Monday evening, with staff planning to start vaccinating residents of the area’s long-term care homes this…
Haliburton hospital ready for patient transfers from GTA
By Mike Baker Following another weekend of almost 5,000 new cases of COVID-19 across Ontario and a further 102 deaths, health officials are preparing for the worst with many hospitals, particularly in the GTA, dangerously…
‘This is serious’ says MOH in health unit’s…
By Chad Ingram On Jan. 13, at the first of a planned series of weekly media teleconferences launched by the health unit last week, Dr. Ian Gemmill, acting medical officer of health for the Haliburton,…
Vaccine ‘likely’ not available in county until summer
By Mike Baker While rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine is well underway in some parts of Ontario, one local doctor, as well as the acting medical officer of health for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge…
Schools to remain closed until Jan. 25 as…
By Sue Tiffin On the same day the province reported a single-day record of 3,519 new cases of COVID-19, as well as a record high number of 89 deaths, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health…