For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

August 24, 2021

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

  • Hastings and Prince Edward Counties have 1,241 cumulative lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 38 active, 1,191 resolved and 12 deceased. There were 4 new cases reported today.
    • There is no local long-term care facility experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak; additional outbreak details can be found online.
    • More information is available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca
  • VOCs: 559
  • 7 day case rate: 19.0 per 100,000                         ~ Positivity Rate: 2.4%
  • Individuals with first dose:  122,849                     ~ Fully vaccinated individuals to date:  106,409

Vaccinations by Client Location - Dose 1 (as at August 22, 2021)

Location

Number of Vaccinations

% of 12+ Eligible Population

% of Total Population

Belleville

35,043

75.9

67.8

Central Hastings

18,298

88.2

80.3

North Hastings

8,100

68.5

63.6

Prince Edward County

18,424

78.5

72.3

Quinte West

36,654

92.3

82.2

Tyendinaga and Deseronto

5,429

102.0

89.0

 

  • Ontario is reporting 486 new cases (372 cases are in individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status) and 2 deaths today.

  • In Canada, as at August 23, 2021, there are 1,473,624 total cases of COVID-19 with 24,234 active cases and 1,422,576 recovered. To date, there have been 26,814 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 39,932,569 individuals tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to August 23, 2021

 

Report

Number

Percentage

Number of Cases

560,637

N/A

Change from previous day’s report (new cases)

486

0.1 increase

Resolved

546,113

97.4

Change from previous report

541 0.1 increase

Total number of deaths

9,471

1.7

Total tests completed

17,054,682

N/A

Total test completed in the previous day

17,369

N/A

Currently under investigation

11,370

N/A

 


Local Updates

Upcoming Vaccination Clinics - 12+ years of age

Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre August 24 – 28

Tuesday and Wednesday – 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Thursdays – 2 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday – 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Saturday – 9:30 to 2:30

Prince Edward Community Centre July 29 – August 30

Every Monday and Thursday – 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Bancroft Legion Br 181 August 10 – August 31

Every Tuesday – 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Pop-Up Clinics

August 25

  • Eastminster United Church 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

August 26

  • Quinte Mall 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • 29 Adrian Court in Trenton 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
  • 30 Annwood Court in Trenton 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

August 27

  • Madoc Skate Park Arts Building 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
  • West Zwick’s Island Park 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
    • North-east of tennis courts under trees.
    • Weather permitting
  • Quinte Mall 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

August 28

  • Marmora Farmer’s Market 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
  • Quinte Mall 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • West Zwick’s Island Park 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
    • North-east of tennis courts under trees.
    • Weather permitting

August 29

  • West Zwick’s Island Park 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    • North-east of tennis courts under trees.
    • Weather permitting

August 30

  • Quinte Mall 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

August 31

  • Giant Tiger Picton 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Please note all clinics are now offering walk-ins for all individuals born in 2009 or earlier for first and second doses. Walk-in schedules have been posted on the HPEPH website through the month of August. Clinic dates and times may be subject to change, and new clinics may be added throughout the month. See our Booking and Eligibility page for up-to-date information.


Provincial

Ontario Deploying Last Mile Strategy to Further Increase Vaccination Rates

  • The latest efforts continue to make vaccines readily and conveniently available, especially in lower-vaccinated areas, and include proactively contacting individuals who have not booked their accelerated second dose appointment.
  • To support the province’s last mile strategy, the province and public health units are focusing on smaller, community-based and easy-to-access settings for vaccinations.
  • In addition, the province is working with public health units to target areas with low vaccination rates, as identified by postal codes, to support localized vaccination strategies as well as targeted marketing by the province in these areas.

Ontario’s Updated COVID-19 Vaccination Eligibility

  • Based on the recommendation of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and health experts, the province will begin offering third doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to select vulnerable populations:
    • Transplant recipients (including solid organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplants)
    • Patients with hematological cancers (examples include lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia) on active treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy) for malignant hematologic disorders
    • Recipients of an anti-CD20 agent (e.g. rituximab, ocrelizumab, ofatumumab)
    • Residents of high-risk congregate settings including long-term care homes, higher-risk licensed retirement homes and First Nations elder care lodges
  • Individuals in these groups can receive their third dose at a minimum of eight weeks following their second dose.
  • HPEPH is not yet offering third doses at COVID-19 clinics. The plan for administration of third doses will be shared with the community via media release and social media posts as soon as details are available.
  • As of August 18, 2021, the province is expanding eligibility for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to all youth who are turning 12 in 2021. Individuals born in 2009 and earlier may attend any HPEPH clinic for first or second doses.

Ontario Makes COVID-19 Vaccination Policies Mandatory for High-Risk Settings

  • To protect vulnerable patients and staff in settings where the risk of contracting and transmitting COVID-19 and the Delta variant is higher, the Chief Medical Officer of Health has issued a directive mandating hospitals and home and community care service providers to have a COVID-19 vaccination policy for employees, staff, contractors, students and volunteers, and for ambulance services to have a COVID-19 vaccination policy for paramedics.
  • The vaccination policy must be effective no later than September 7, 2021, and at a minimum will require these individuals to provide proof of one of three things:
    • Full vaccination against COVID-19;
    • A medical reason for not being vaccinated against COVID-19; or
    • Completion of a COVID-19 vaccination educational session.
  • Individuals who do not provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will be required to undertake regular antigen testing.
  • To support the return to school plan, the Ministry of Education intends to introduce a vaccination disclosure policy for all publicly-funded school board employees, and staff in private schools as well as for all staff in licensed child care settings for the 2021-22 school year, with rapid antigen testing requirements for staff who are not immunized against COVID-19.
  • Vaccination policies will also be implemented in other higher-risk settings such as:
    • Post-secondary institutions;
    • Licensed retirement homes;
    • Women’s shelters; and
    • Congregate group homes and day programs for adults with developmental disabilities, children’s treatment centres and other services for children with special needs, and licensed children’s residential settings.

Ontario Further Extending Temporary Wage Increase for Personal Support Workers

  • The Ontario government is investing an additional $169 million to extend the temporary wage increase for personal support workers and direct support workers for the third time since its initial investment last year.
  • This increase will continue until October 31, 2021.

Ontario Working with Public Health Units to Run COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics in Schools

  • The Ontario government is working with public health units and publicly funded school boards to plan and host vaccination clinics in or nearby schools to continue to fight COVID-19.
  • Clinics are expected to run before school starts and during the first few weeks of school.

Ontario Providing More Support to Communities During COVID-19

  • The Ontario government is providing an additional $307 million to help municipalities and Indigenous community partners deliver critical services, create longer-term housing solutions and keep people safe.
  • This investment builds upon the $765 million dollars of Social Services Relief Funding (SSRF) announced in 2020- 2021, for a total support to communities of over $1 billion.

Ontario Launches New Program to Recruit and Retain Staff in Retirement Homes

  • The Ontario government is investing more than $2M over two years to provide new and recently hired personal support workers (PSWs) and nurses with financial incentives to encourage them to work in retirement homes.

Federal

Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on August 20, 2021

  • Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,462,906 cases of COVID-19 and 26,783 deaths reported in Canada.
  • The latest national 7-day average of 2,216 new cases reported daily (Aug 13-19) is an increase of 38% over the previous week.
  • The latest provincial and territorial data show that an average of 648 people with COVID-19 were being treated in Canadian hospitals each day during the most recent 7-day period (Aug 13-19), which is 22% higher than last week. This includes, on average 262 people who were being treated in intensive care units (ICU), 24% more than last week and an average of 5 deaths were reported daily (Aug 13-19).
  • Nationally, the highly contagious Delta Variant of Concern (VOC), accounts for the majority of recently reported cases, is associated with increased severity, and may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines
  • Most reported cases, hospitalisations and deaths are occurring among unvaccinated people
  • Virus spread in areas with low vaccination coverage presents an ongoing risk for emergence of and replacement by new VOCs, including a risk of VOCs with the ability to evade vaccine protection.
  • 83% of people aged 12 years or older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 74% are now fully vaccinated.

Government of Canada to require vaccination of federal workforce and federally regulated transportation sector

  • The Government of Canada announced its intent to require vaccination as early as the end of September across the federal public service.
  • In addition, as soon as possible in the fall and no later than the end of October, the Government of Canada will require employees in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors to be vaccinated. The vaccination requirement will also extend to certain travellers. This includes all commercial air travellers, passengers on interprovincial trains, and passengers on large marine vessels with overnight accommodations, such as cruise ships.

Canada moving forward with a proof of vaccination for international travel

  • The Government of Canada is collaborating with the provinces and territories to develop a proof of vaccination that will facilitate cross-border travel, while reducing the risk of spread and importation of COVID-19.

Government of Canada negotiates additional agreement with Moderna for vaccine supply beyond 2021

  • Canada has entered into an agreement with Moderna for additional supply of its COVID-19 vaccine for 2022 and 2023, with an option to extend into 2024.

Government of Canada makes rapid antigen tests available to more small and medium-sized organizations through new pharmacy partners

  • More than 2000 local pharmacies have registered to distribute rapid antigen tests to small and medium-sized businesses and non-profit organizations – this includes independent pharmacies, Rexall, Sobeys and Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

Border services resume at a number of small Canadian marine vessel reporting sites, airports of entry and ferry terminals

  • The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will proceed with the resumption of service at various small marine reporting sites, airports of entry and ferry terminals over the coming days and weeks. This follows the coming into force of new public health measures affecting travel to Canada for fully vaccinated United States (U.S.) citizens and permanent residents on August 9.

Government of Canada is reaching thousands of Canada’s most vulnerable during COVID-19

  • Over 11,570 projects have been funded through the Emergency Community Support Fund. These critical investments have enabled charities and non-profit organizations across the country to adjust their services and respond to their communities’ needs during the pandemic.

Government of Canada Announces Funding for COVID-19 Safe Voluntary Isolation Sites in Ontario

  • These sites help people who have COVID-19—or have been exposed to it—access safe isolation accommodations to keep themselves and their community safe. These are in addition to the sites available for people experiencing homelessness who need to isolate because of a positive test.
  • One of the sites will be located in Belleville.

HPEPH

Useful Links

We want to ensure this bulletin is as useful as possible. Please send your questions, comments and suggestions to communications@hpeph.ca

You have received this email at from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health as a result of a request you have made or due to a service/subscription that you are registered for. While you may discontinue your subscription to this mailing at any time by pressing the unsubscribe button below, this bulletin will be used to provide important updates about COVID-19 in our community.