8 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Thunder Bay district on Monday

Eight new COVID-19 cases, and one more death, were reported in the Thunder Bay district on Monday.

The additional death, announced by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU),  brings the total to 59.

Of Monday's new cases, two were due to household contact, two the result of other close contact, and four had no known exposure. 

Six of Monday's cases were in Thunder Bay and surrounding areas, while two were in Indigenous communities.

The data released on Monday includes new cases confirmed on Sunday, as the TBDHU is not announcing new cases on Sunday.

Fourteen cases were listed as resolved; as of Monday morning, there were 49 confirmed, active cases of COVID-19 in the Thunder Bay district.

In the region, the Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) confirmed eight new cases of COVID-19 in its service area on Monday.

Five of the cases are in the Emo area, two are in the Sioux Lookout area, and one is in the Kenora area.

There are currently 45 active, confirmed COVID-19 cases in the NWHU region.

The NWHU also announced Monday that 32 per cent — or about 20,000 people — aged 18 and over in its service area have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The numbers are on par with Ontario as a whole, the NWHU said.

"I am proud of our residents, staff, and volunteers for making our clinics successful thus far," Dr. Kit Young Hoon, NWHU medical officer of health, said in a statement. "We are still in the early stages of our vaccine roll-out, but we are doing everything we can to get as many people vaccinated as efficiently as possible."

The NWHU said it will be offering vaccination clinics in small communities over the next several weeks.

Information on booking appointments has been sent to residents and staff in the eligible municipalities and townships, which were chosen based on location, population and NWHU resources required to offer the clinics.