COVID numbers from Pickering to Clarington continue to improve

The COVID-19 numbers in Durham Region continue to show positive signs for the future, with every indicator lower or on par with the previous week.

The incidence rate per 100,000 population for the week of May 8-14 has dropped to 70.6 – the fourth straight weekly drop and less than half the rate from a month ago – and the total number of new cases for the week has also dropped for the fourth consecutive period, to 518.

There are 55 people in hospital with the virus – the same level as the previous week – with four patients in ICU, down one. The positivity rate has also dropped from 14.8 per cent to 11.2 per cent.

There are 19 institutional outbreaks – up one – but just two are in a hospital setting, versus eight the previous week.

Two people died from the COVID-19 virus last week. There were seven deaths the previous week.