Another 1,475 new COVID-19 cases in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon

There are another 1,475 new COVID-19 cases in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon as new restrictions came into effect on Wednesday morning.

According to Peel Public Health, 695 of the new cases were in Mississauga, 691 were in Brampton and another 89 cases were in Caledon and other areas.

There have been 141,551 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 across the Region of Peel according to PPH. Of those cases, 129,021 have recovered and approximately 11,000 are pending.

Brampton Civic Hospital and Peel Paramedics are working to address staff shortages due to COVID-19 as dozens of patients with the virus have been admitted to hospital.

On Monday, William Osler Health System declared a “Code Orange” in Brampton and the Peel Paramedics were running at Code Black, meaning there was one or less available ambulance in the entire region.

Across Ontario, 11,582 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 net deaths were reported on Wednesday, up from 11,352 new cases and 10 new deaths on Tuesday. But the total of daily new cases could be higher due to a backlog of testing results across Ontario.

The Ministry of Health says there are some 2,081 people admitted to hospitals across Ontario testing positive for COVID-19, including 68 patients at Brampton Civic Hospital.

At least five of the patients in Brampton are in intensive care.

Ontario reintroduced COVID-19 restrictions as of Wednesday in an effort to blunt the spread of the Omicron variant.

The new measures include social gatherings limited to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors, all publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning until at least Jan. 17, and restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments must close indoor dining rooms.

Indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms must also be closed, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said the city is working to make more outdoor amenities available to help keep residents healthy and happy given the new restrictions.

The most recent numbers from PPH show 92.3 per cent of Peel residents over 12 years old have had at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 89 per cent have received two doses as of Dec. 31.

Some 87.7 per cent of people over 5 years old have received at least one vaccine shot, and 82 per cent have received two doses.