Last Updated on May 3, 2022 by YGK News Staff
Past Updates
On Friday, Queen’s University confirmed that there are three positive COVID-19 cases at the McNeill House residence. This comes as Kingston sees a record high of COVID-19 cases in the region.
Community Relations Manager Mark Erdman told YGK News that all students in residence are fully vaccinated and must wear a facemask in common areas.
An outbreak has not been declared by KFL&A Public Health. Queen’s says that if this status does change, it would “not change the already stringent practices that are already in place.”
While Queen’s used to separately list residence COVID-19 cases, the university says its removed the residence cases in favour of streamlining the process.
“All cases at Queen’s, including those in residences, are posted on our case tracker. At the start of the new term, with vaccination requirements in place and the return to in-person classes, the decision was made to streamline case reporting.”
Queen’s says its pleased that high vaccination rates in the community have been effective in protecting students. “We take the health and safety of our community seriously, and we are working quickly to ensure our students are aware of the new order. We have sent an email to all of our students today informing of the new Section 22 order, and shared that information through social media and online,” Erdman said to YGK News.
The Section 22 order, announced by KFL&A Public Health on Friday, limits indoor private gatherings to a maximum of 10 people. Non compliance can result in a fine of $5,000.
As of Friday, 16 new COVID-19 cases were reported at Queen’s University this week.
December 15th
With 15 new cases today, KFLA back to 99 active cases, sees 5 resolved cases
December 13th
KFLA Public Health is reporting 9 new cases today, 1 female 9 or under, 2 females in their 20s, 2 females in their 30s, female in 40s, 2 males, 10-19, Male in their 20s, 16 resolved, 93 active cases #ygk
–> 24 off-campus cases at Queen’s
–> 1 new case at Holy Cross Secondary School
–> 1 new case at St. Joseph Catholic School @alcdsb_stjoe
–> 19 active cases outbreak related
Total 397 cases; 16 resolved; 93 active cases.
December 9th
At least 2 recent Covid-19 cases have been linked to multiple house parties over the last week, Kingston Public Health has reported,
The parties occurred in the university district between December 4th and 5th. While 2 individuals are connected to the house party, Queen’s is reporting there to be up to 10 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the community.
Dr. Moore is requiring those involved to isolate and get tested if symptoms occur.
“Once tested, individuals should continue to self-isolate until they receive a negative test result. If after this time, an individual develops symptoms they are required to self-isolate again and to get re-tested”
The COVID-19 assessment centre at the Beechgrove Complex at 51 Heakes Lane, Kingston, is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., by appointment only. The L&A Assessment centre at the LACGH Westdale Campus at 12 Richmond Park Dr, Napanee, is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., by appointment only.
According to Dr. Moore, there were 70 active cases and 500 possible contacts that they are monitoring.
December 7th
On Sunday December 6th, Francis Armstrong, pastor at Third Day Worship Centre announced that all in person gatherings would be cancelled and occur online until December 20th. The announcement came as Dr. Moore announced today that there was an outbreak at a place of worship involving at least 9 individuals.
According to a source, the Church quietly prepared to move online as it had learned of the outbreak. However, it has been reluctant to directly mention COVID-19. “[When they first learned of the outbreak], the church had told its membership that it was shutting down as the “christmas season is stressful,” the source told YGK News.
Then, as Armstrong spoke to his membership on Sunday, he stopped short of mentioning that the closure was a result of the virus, instead simply mentioning that they will return when it’s safe to do so. Armstrong remained hopeful that they would see each other again before Christmas.
Third Day Worship Centre has since confirmed publicly that there had been an outbreak connected to their place of worship. “We have learned that there are individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in our church,” the church said in a statement.
“In the interest of protecting our congregation from further spread, we voluntarily moved to online services until further notice. We also closed our offices immediately, disinfected and sanitized the church and hope members of the church and region at large have a safe recovery,” the church said.
According to a statement, the person affected by the COVID-19 outbreak attended the worship centre on Nov. 29th. On the same day, Evangelist TJ Malcangi attended the church to speak to parishioners.
Malcangi and TDWC had faced scrutiny over the November 29th gathering after community members noticed that the church had encouraged Torontonians to attend the church. “This Sunday Only!! If you’re in Toronto & your church shut down, this one is less than 3 hours away!!” TJ Malcagni said in an Instagram post.
December 1st – KFLA Public Health reports three new cases today. A male in their 40s, male in their 30s and female in their 30s tested positive. Their are 28 active cases in the Kingston area.
November 13th – KFLA Public Health is reporting 10 new cases today. The following individuals tested positive:
– Male 10 to 19, under investigation.
-2 females 10 to 19, close contact.
– Female 50s, close contact.
– Female 40’s, close contact.
– Male 70s, close contact.
– Female 20s, under investigation.
– 2 females 20s, oubtreak related.
- Male 20’s outbreak related
A second McDonald’s location has been shuttered due to new COVID-19 cases. The location is at 705 Sir John A Macdonald Boulevard and closing after a staff member was notified about their status.
Our Lady of Lourdes now reporting 6 cases within its school, the ALCDSB now has a total of 7 cases within its board.
There are now 26 active cases in the KFLA region
November 6th – KFLA Public Health is reporting three new cases today. A female between 20-29, female between 40-49 and male between 40-49 tested positive.
October 28th – KFLA Public Health is reporting 2 new COVID-19 cases today. The cases are both male. One is between 90-99 years of age and the other is between 20-29 years of age. This brings the total active number of cases to 7 in the region.
An outbreak has been declared at Helen Henderson Long Term Care Centre on October 27th. One positive case at the facility is a resident and the other is a staff member. They are included in the total.
October 26th – KFLAPH reporting three new cases today. The cases are a female between 20 to 29, a female between 30-39. Both of these are under investigation. A male between 20 and 29 years of age has been found positive and the exposure was a result of close contact. One of the new cases are a female healthcare worker.
October 23rd
October 11th – KFL&A Public health reports that there are 2 new cases today. The cases include 2 females between the ages of 60-69 years of age. There are now 13 active cases, with 6 cases having recovered. One case was exposed due to close contact and the other one is still being investigated.
Queen’s University has also added one case today to their covid tracker, bringing the total active cases to 3 this week.
October 9th – Two COVID-19 cases confirmed at Polson Park Public School and KCVI
On Friday, the Limestone District School Board confirmed that two student or staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 at Polson Park Public School and Kingston Collegiate & Vocational Institute. The school board has indicated that the schools will remain open.
“KFL&A Public Health identified two positive, confirmed case of COVID-19 at schools in the Limestone District School Board on October 9, 2020. One positive case has been identified in a person at Polson Park Public School, and one positive case has been identified in a person at Kingston Collegiate & Vocational Institute,” a statement said.
The school board has also noted that those affected are currently self-isolating. “These people are isolating at home, and they are following directives from KFL&A Public Health. In the interests of maintaining privacy, the board will not identify the persons that have received positive COVID-19 tests,” the statement said.
This is the second and third cases to be confirmed within the school board. The first case was confirmed on October 3rd at Sir. John A. MacDonald Public School.
Parents were informed today via phone call. The message has told parents that KFL&A will work with the LDSB to locate close contacts. It is not clear how many classes have been affected.
A source has told YGK News that those who were isolating as a result of the recent positive case at Sir John A MacDonald Public School were asked to attend a drive-thru testing site after school today. This test is required in order for students/staff to return to school on Tuesday.
October 8th – KFL&A Public health reports that a male between 60-69 and a female health care worker between 40-49 test positive today. Number of active cases drop to 14.
October 5th – KFL&A Public Health is reporting 4 new cases today. The cases include:
- 1 female 30-39 (close contact)
- 1 male under 19 (Close contact)
- 2 females under 19 (close contact)
With 4 cases having recovered, the active case total remains at 27.
October 4th – KFL&A Public Health is reporting that a male between 20 and 29 years of age has tested positive for covid-19. There are now 27 active cases in the community. There are 121 recovered cases and 148 active cases. The case was contracted through close contact exposure. On Saturday, LDSB informed parents that someone tested positive at John A. MacDonald Public Elementary school.
October 3rd – KFLA Public heath is reporting four new cases today, bringing active cases to 26. The cases include:
-2 females, 19 years and under, close contact exposure
-1 male, 19 years and under, close contact exposure
-1 male, 20 to 29 years, close contact exposure
121 cases have recovered.
2 of these cases are from Queen’s University. 20 of the 26 cases are linked to Queen’s University.
October 2nd – According to the KFLA Public Health dashboard, Kingston sees 5 new positive cases of covid-19 today. There are now 24 active cases in the region, bringing the total to 143 cases total. The positive individuals include:
– 1 male, 40 to 49, under investigation.
– 1 female, 40 to 49, under investigation. –
– 3 females, 20 to 29, close contact.
October 1st – KFLA Public Health reporting 3 new cases today. The three cases are male and under 19. 2 cases have recovered. It’s unclear whether this is from the house party on the 18th.
September 30th – KFLA Public Health is reporting two new cases today, 1 female under 19 and another in her 40s. This brings active cases in Kingston to 18.
September 29th – On Tuesday, KFL&A Public Health confirmed that one new positive case today. The new case is a female, under 20 and Queen’s student. This brings the total cases at Queen’s University to 14.
Positive Case at Kingston Tim Hortons
Also, we learned today that the Tim Hortons on Centennial drive temporarily closed due to a positive covid-19 case. Tim Hortons head office confirmed this in an email to the Kingstonist.
September 28th – KFL&A Public Health is reporting three new cases today. All three cases are of females under 20. Two of the cases are a result of close contact and one is under investigation. Public health has confirmed that the three new cases are Queen’s students. Queen’s is reporting 13 covid-19 cases in the community.
This brings the total case count to 132, with 15 cases being active.
September 27th – KFL&A Public Health is reporting one new case today, bringing total active cases to 12. No other details have been provided at this time. The new case is a female under 20 (but not elementary or secondary school aged).
Queen’s University has also raised their total case count to 6.
September 26th – KFL&A public health is reporting two new cases covid-19 cases today. The male and female who tested positive are both between 20 and 29 years of age. The origin of these cases are still under investigation.
This now bring Kingston’s total active case count to 11. On the dashboard, 7% of the total cases are marked as information pending.
September 25th – Queen’s confirms second case in residence; public health raising alarm over rise in cases
Queen’s University Residences has confirmed that another resident has tested positive for Covid-19. The student resides in Leonard Hall. This is the second positive case in residence, with the previous positive case being yesterday, on the fourth floor of Brant Hall.
“Those identified as a close contact of the student will be contacted directly and required to self-isolate and be tested for COVID-19 immediately” the letter said. One of the isolation spaces are located in the JDUC.
Residence Life is working closely with KFL&A Public health to contract trace and inform the affected individuals as soon as possible.
KFL&A had also published two statements expressing their concern over the rise in cases within the Kingston region. In the first statement, Dr. Kieran Moore urged residents to self isolate if you are found to be positive or are found to be close contact of a positive case.
“We will have no problem restricting and charging individuals who do not adhere to this order, to ensure that those who need to self-isolate do so, for the protection of all residents in our community,” said Dr. Kieran Moore. “Especially if these individuals have already been advised, contacted, and we have information that they are leaving their home.”
Second, Public health raised the community status of Covid-19 to yellow. This comes as Public Health reported four new cases of Covid-19 today. A yellow status indicated few cases, full local contact capacity and cases/contacts are being reached within 24 hours.
“Since September 9, we have seen 14 new cases of COVID-19. Most of these cases have been individuals under 30 years of age, female, and residents of the City of Kingston. KFL&A Public Health investigation into the source of infection for these cases is ongoing. Given this trend, KFL&A Public Health has deemed it important to signal the increased need for vigilance to prevent the further transmission of COVID-19 in our region” the statement said.
The statements come as four new cases positive cases of covid-19 were reported today. Three of the four are females under 20 and one is a man in his 40s. There are now 9 active cases in Kingston. Two cases have recovered since yesterday.
September 24th – KFL&A is reporting two new covid-19 cases today. The first case is a male in their 40s and the other is a female under 20 (not secondary or elementary aged). The method of transmission is currently under investigation. There are 7 active cases in the area.
A student at living in residence at Queen’s was later found to be one of the positive cases. Queen’s Residences has informed residents that the student has tested positive. In a letter sent to students, they were informed that the resident has now entered self isolation. When there is a confirmed or suspected case, residents must follow a protocol outlined by Queen’s Housing & Ancillary Services.
“As you know, we have detailed processes and protocols including the ability to manage case contact in residence with Kingston Public Health, the ability to safely isolate and support people who have symptoms or have been in contact with a confirmed positive case, as well as heightened safety and cleaning practices.” the letter said.
More information about the residence isolation protocol can be found here
September 22nd – KFL&A is reporting one new covid-19 case today. The male is in his 20’s. The method of transmission is currently under investigation.
As one case has recovered, there are 6 active cases in the region.
September 20th – Two new covid-19 cases have been confirmed today by Public Heath. The new cases are both females, one in her 20s and the other under 20. The second case is not secondary or elementary school age.
This afternoon, Jane Philpott, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University, confirmed a COVID-19 case within her faculty. Philpott shared the news in an email to her students at 12:38pm.
September 15th – KFLA is reporting two new cases of Covid-19 in the region today. The cases are females and in their 20s. Contract tracers are investigating, more details to come. This brings active cases in the community to 5.
The Government of Ontario has also released a screening tool for parents. It is not tracked or enforced. You can access it here.
Later, Global News confirmed that a Walmart employee has tested positive for COVID-19, with the employee’s last shift being on September 10th. This was first circulated on social media. Walmart advises employees to refrain from entering the workplace if they are feeling unwell or are experiencing symptoms.
September 10th, 2020 – KFLA confirms two new cases in Kingston today
A male and a female who are in their 30s have tested positive for COVID-19. The cases are unrelated. It is being reported that one of the positive individuals is a health care worker. One individual has recovered, bringing the total active cases in Kingston to 3.
Dr. Moore also posted a Q&A today in which he provides advice for college and university students.
