For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

February 22, 2022

To ensure everyone has current information, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health will be providing regular COVID-19 updates.

For more information please review our website or call 613-966-5500 or 1-800-267-2803

Updates

Epidemiological

Publicly funded PCR testing is now limited to symptomatic high-risk individuals, and individuals who work in high-risk settings. This change came into effect on Dec. 31, 2021 and as a result, positive cases confirmed by PCR testing will underestimate the true number of individuals with COVID-19 in the community.

  • As of Feb 18, 2022 Hastings and Prince Edward Counties have 364 active high-risk cases and HPEPH is reporting a total of 37 deaths in the region. There were 92 new high-risk cases reported on Feb 18.
    • There are 9 local high-risk settings experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak; additional outbreak details can be found online.
    • More information is available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca
  • Vaccinations among residents 5 and older:
    • First Dose: 146,139 (89%)
    • Second Dose: 135,369 (82%)

  • Ontario is reporting 1,282 new cases today. 1,038 individuals are hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Ontario with 319 individuals in the ICU due to COVID-19 related illness.

  • In Canada, as of Feb 22, 2022, there are 3,243,953 total cases of COVID-19 with 121,528 active cases and 3,086,397 resolved. To date, there have been 36,046 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 57,831,597 individuals tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to February 22, 2022

Report

Number

Percentage

Number of Cases

 1,090,101

N/A

Change from previous report (new cases)

1,282

0.1% increase

Resolved

1,057,829

97.0

Change from previous report

1,997

0.2% increase

Total number of deaths

12,288

1.1

Total tests completed

23,007,497

N/A

Total test completed in the previous day

15,365

N/A

Currently under investigation

4,483

N/A

Local Updates

Regular Clinic Locations and Schedules

Walk-ins are available at most clinic locations. View the clinic details below for walk-in eligibility, schedules and booking information (if applicable). Calling the clinic location directly will not result in an appointment.

First and second doses for all eligible individuals aged 5 and over. Boosters are available for individuals aged 18 and over 84 days after receiving a second dose. Individuals aged 12-17 are now eligible for booster doses 168 days after receiving their second dose.

Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre 265 Cannifton Rd, Belleville - Clinics accepts walk-ins. Appointments are available.

  • Friday, Feb 25 – 9:30 am to 3 pm (closed 12 – 1 pm)
  • Saturday, Feb 26 – 9:30 am to 2:30 pm (closed 12 – 1 pm)
  • Thursday, Mar 3 – 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm (closed 4:30 – 5 pm)
  • Friday, Mar 4 – 9:30 am to 2:30 pm (closed 12 – 1 pm)

Prince Edward Community Centre 375 Main St, Picton - Clinics accept walk-ins. Appointments are available unless otherwise noted.

  • Thursday, Feb 24 – TBD
  • Thursday, March 3 – 12 pm to 6 pm

Bancroft/North Hastings Clinics

Please book an appointment by calling 613-332-2825 ext 6227. Walk-ins may be accepted, based on vaccine availability.

  • Bancroft Hospital Professional Building
    • Saturday, Feb 26 – 10 am to 4 pm

Please note, new clinic dates and times are updated regularly. Please view the HPEPH COVID-19 Vaccines Page for the latest information.

Provincial

Ontario Asking Citizens to Embrace the Ontario Spirit and Volunteer

  • The Ontario government is calling on citizens 16 years of age and older to help their communities in times of crisis by joining Volunteer Corps Ontario. The new program will register, screen and train volunteers so Ontario is better prepared to mobilize volunteers and safely respond to emergencies, from public health crises to natural disasters.

Ontario Bolstering Stockpile and Distributing Record Levels of Critical Supplies

  • The Ontario government is continuing to ensure the province is prepared in the fight against COVID-19 and its variants by ramping up procurement and delivery of additional services, personal protective equipment and critical supplies and equipment.
  • Starting Feb 17, information on how the province is strengthening Ontario’s pandemic supply chain has been made readily available.

Ontario’s Learning Recovery Action Plan for Students

  • Ontario has developed a Learning Recovery Action Plan that invests heavily in robust tutoring supports, and includes summer learning, a focus on reading, math and other foundational skills, as well as targeted initiatives intended to address unique barriers that some students may face.

Ontario Moved to Next Phase of Reopening on February 17

  • Effective February 17, 2022 Ontario further eased public health measures.
  • Capacity limits in other indoor public settings, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, retail and shopping malls, will be maintained at, or increased to, the number of people who can maintain two metres physical distance.
  • 8:00 a.m. on Friday, February 18, 2022, Ontario expanded booster dose eligibility to youth aged 12 to 17.
  • Effective March 1, 2022:
    • Ontario intends to take additional steps to ease public health measures if public health and health system indicators continue to improve. This includes lifting capacity limits in all remaining indoor public settings.
    • Ontario will also lift proof of vaccination requirements for all settings at this time. Businesses and other settings may choose to continue to require proof of vaccination. Masking requirements will remain in place at this time, with a specific timeline to lift this measure to be communicated at a later date.

Ontario Extending Free Rides to Vaccination Sites for People with Mobility Issues

  • An investment of $3.7 million will help people with disabilities, including seniors with mobility issues, get transportation to and from vaccination sites. Children aged 5 to 11 with disabilities or mobility issues, along with their parent or caregiver, are also eligible for this initiative.
  • Accessible Drive to Vaccines is delivered in partnership with the Ontario Community Support Association. The program connects eligible individuals with rides to vaccination sites across the province, provided by staff and volunteers who will pick them up and take them home after their vaccine appointment.

Ontario Extending Health Card Renewal Requirement

  • The Ontario government is extending the requirement to renew health cards until September 30, 2022.

Ontario Expanding Access to Free Rapid Tests for General Public

  • Ontario will be distributing 5 million rapid tests each week for eight weeks through pharmacy and grocery locations across the province, as well as 500,000 each week through community partners in vulnerable communities.

Federal
  • Today’s updated longer-range forecast suggests that while indicators of Omicron activity have likely peaked, easing of public health measures could still lead to a resurgence in daily cases in Canada. While this is not unexpected given the characteristics of the Omicron variant, the good news is that the impact on hospital admissions could be much lower.
  • During the latest 7 day period (Feb 11-17, 2022), an average of 7,726 new cases were reported daily across Canada. While this is a 25% decrease compared to the week prior, these daily case counts together with other indicators of COVID-19 disease activity, including 13% laboratory test positivity during the latest 7 day period (Feb 9-15, 2022), indicate persistent widespread activity across the country.
  • The latest provincial and territorial data show that an average of 7,197 people with COVID-19 were being treated in hospitals each day during the most recent 7-day period (Feb 11-17, 2022), which is 16% lower than last week. This includes, on average, 879 people who were being treated in intensive care units (ICU) daily, and an average of 92 deaths were reported daily (Feb 11-17, 2022).
  • As of February 15, 2022, over 86% of individuals aged 12 and older in First Nations, Inuit and territorial communities have received a second dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, and 23% have received a third/booster shot. Over 45% of individuals aged 5 to 11 have received at least one dose.
  • As of February 16, 2022, the following case counts have been reported from First Nations communities:
    • 81 586 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, of which 10 695 are the Omicron variant
    • 3 762 active cases
    • 2 902 hospitalizations
    • 77 184 recovered cases
    • 640 deaths
  • Health Canada authorized Novavax's Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 in adults 18 years of age and older.
  • The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has added three online courses to its mental health resources to help organizations achieve a psychologically healthy workplace.
  • Over one year into the largest vaccination campaign in Canadian history, we have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with close to 84% of eligible people in Canada having at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • With the decline of the Omicron wave, and as we transition away from the crisis phase, it is now time to rebalance our collective efforts towards a more sustainable approach to long term management of COVID-19.
  • As we enter the transition phase, we should anticipate additional waves and outbreaks. Progress may not be linear. Future COVID-19 activity will depend on factors such as waning immunity, potential for repeated emergence of highly immune-evasive and/or more severe variants of concern, and seasonal dynamics.
  • In the longer term, we will continue to rely on the various tools in our toolbox, including vaccines, treatments, robust surveillance and public health and healthcare infrastructure.
  • The federal government intends to extend enhanced key support programs to ensure Canadians are protected and workers and businesses continue to get help through ongoing public health restrictions.
    • Local Lockdown Program: Eligibility would continue to include employers subject to capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 per cent or more; and the current-month revenue decline threshold requirement would remain at 25 per cent. Eligible employers would receive wage and rent subsidies from 25 per cent up to a maximum of 75 per cent, depending on their degree of revenue loss. The 12-month revenue decline test continues to not be required in order to access this support.
    • Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit: Eligibility would continue to include workers in regions where capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 per cent or more are in place. This benefit provides $300 a week in income support to eligible workers affected by a COVID-19-related public health lockdown order, and who are either unable to work or have lost 50 per cent or more of their income as a result.
  • Funding for the Safe Voluntary Isolation Sites Program (SVISP) will be extended until March 2023. An additional $68.4 million will be provided for safe voluntary isolation sites across Canada over the next year to help people who have COVID-19 — or have been exposed to it — access safe isolation accommodations to keep themselves, their families, and their community safe.