Peterborough Public Health Warns That Local COVID-19 Case Count Is An Understatement Is Likely Closer to 10,000

Medical officer of health, Dr. Thomas Piggot, said on Thursday that the active number of COVID-19 cases is likely much higher than reported.

There are currently 1,111 active cases of COVID-19 in Peterborough, though Dr. Piggot says that due to the provincially mandated restrictions on PCR testing there are many more un documented cases.

“Prior to the changes in the testing criteria, the modelling estimates we saw provincially showed potentially we were underreporting by a factor of eight. So there are eight times more cases,” he said.

Dr. Piggot says the current case count is a severe underestimate and that there are closer to 10,000 cases.

“There is lots of concern and uncertainty with what’s happening, but there’s reason for hope,” he said. “I really feel we’re at the darkest part of the night before the dawn that is coming.”

To date, 41.6 per cent of eligible local residents aged 18 and up have received a third booster shot. 85.2 per cent of eligible residents aged five and up have received one dose, 80 per cent have received two doses.

Anyone looking for a first or second dose can walk in to a clinic with no appointment.

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