For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

June 3, 2020

To ensure everyone has current information during this quickly evolving outbreak, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health will be providing regular COVID-19 updates over the next several weeks.

For more information please review our website or call 613-966-5500.

Updates

Epidemiological

• Hastings and Prince Edward Counties have 43 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 184 probable cases, with 33 lab-confirmed cases having recovered and 5 deceased.
  • Approximately 7,626 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, with a 0.6% positivity rate.
  • Facilities experiencing COVID-19 outbreak can be found online.
  • More details are available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca.

• In Canada, there are 92,399 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 resulting in 7,395 deaths. To date, over 1,724,250 individuals have been tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to June 2, 2020

Federal

Canadian Personal Protective Equipment and Medical Supplies

• Yesterday, Prime Minister Trudeau reviewed how the federal government has been supporting the development of Canadian-based personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing. "Not only do we build our capacity to make these supplies at home, we support good jobs for Canadians," the Prime Minister stated.
• To date, the country has received more than 100 million surgical masks and nearly 40 million gloves, and is continuing to distribute those and a range of medical supplies to the provinces and territories.
• In anticipation of a COVID-19 vaccine being developed, a contract has been signed for the production of millions of syringes, so the supplies will be available when needed.
• The federal government is funding four Canadian companies working on what may be breakthrough solutions for COVID-19 rapid testing – Deep Biologics in Guelph, Nicoya Lifesciences in Kitchener, Fourien in Edmonton, and Metabolic Insights in Kelowna. This is in addition to the support already provided for testing, including for Precision Biomonitoring, which is setting up a test kit manufacturing facility in Ontario.

Canada Revenue Agency Launches National Leads Program

• On Monday, the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) launched the National Leads Program to provide a mechanism for individuals to report those they suspect are misusing the COVID-19 emergency benefits programs and/or cheating on their tax reporting by not declaring all income, accepting undeclared cash payments or creating fake businesses to claim losses.
• The CRA is specifically looking for information regarding people who are receiving either Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or Canadian Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) who are ineligible, or businesses or charities that are misusing the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program.

Provincial

Ontario Helps Manufacturers Increase Production of PPE

• The Ontario government continues investing in local manufacturers in order to keep frontline workers and communities safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. More innovative businesses are receiving financial support through the Ontario Together Fund to re-tool their processes and increase their capacity to make personal protective equipment (PPE).
• "Our entrepreneurs, businesses and workers are stepping up and unleashing the full strength of Ontario's manufacturing might ― sometimes doubling or tripling their output and working modern-day miracles in the fight against COVID-19," said Premier Ford.
• Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Minister Fedeli announced that more businesses are receiving financial support through the Ontario Together Fund to re-tool their processes and increase their capacity to make personal protective equipment (PPE). The announcement shared news of three companies receiving funding: Southmedic (in Barrie), Sterling Industries (in Concord), and SRB Technologies (in Pembroke).
• Through the Ontario Together Portal and the Ontario Together Fund, the portal has received over 25,000 submissions, of which 15,000 have led to $200 million in purchases of medical supplies and equipment that has gone directly to the frontline, including 121 million masks, 4 million face shields, 100 million surgical gloves, and 20.9 million gowns.

Long-Term Care Management and Testing Targets

• The Ministry of Long-Term Care has issued a Mandatory Management Order appointing St. Mary's General Hospital, a member of St. Joseph's Health System, in Kitchener to temporarily manage Forest Heights long-term care home for 90 days. Despite receiving hospital support for weeks, Forest Heights has been unable to contain the spread of COVID-19. By taking these steps, the Ministry of Long-Term Care is putting in place a rigorous management structure to help contain the spread of the disease and assist in returning the home to normal operations.
• Premier Ford mentioned that there are currently seven long-term care homes that are now being managed by the province, and that there will soon be an eighth.
• The Premier noted that the goal of testing all long-term care residents and staff for COVID-19 has been completed with additional rounds of testing underway.
• Upcoming targets are aimed at continuing to test in congregate settings, including retirement homes, again in Long-Term Care homes for more surveillance, group homes, places where people are living together, correctional facilities, and pop-up testing facilities.

Positive Test Results Making Headlines

• Regarding the approximate 700 positive test results that were not communicated by some hospitals to public health in the GTA, Health Minister Elliott noted that the issue was a result of a miscommunication and that it has been dealt with such that all hospitals and assessment centres are aware of their reporting responsibilities. The Minister Elliott assured the media that "it won't happen again".
• The Minister also explained that contact tracing and case management is being conducted for positive cases, and despite some people not having been contacted sooner, any individuals who were tested would have been made aware during their testing that they could access their results online and received instructions to self-isolate if positive.

Ontario Extends Declaration of Emergency Until June 30

• In consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, an extension of the provincial Declaration of Emergency to June 30 was approved yesterday by the Ontario legislature.
• Current emergency orders include allowing frontline care providers to redeploy staff where they are needed most, enabling public health units to redeploy or hire staff to support case management and contact tracing, limiting long-term care and retirement home staff to working at one home, and preventing unfair pricing of necessary goods.

Reopening the Economy

• Despite public concern that the prolonging of the state of emergency to the end of June will hinder reopening, Premier Ford reassured Ontarians that the extended state of emergency does not mean that reopening will be put on hold. He indicated that the provincial government has been working around the clock to continue with plans for reopening and considering a regional approach. The Premier emphasized that safety is still top of mind and reminded everyone that we must remain vigilant in the event of a second wave.
• Premier Ford shared that a large part of upcoming plans is to emphasize Canadian-made products and work with industry to ensure "Made in Canada" appears prominently on Canadian-made goods. The Premier commented on Ontario as an economic powerhouse, among the best in the world.

Local

• The Prince Edward Family Health Team issued a letter to residents of Prince Edward County addressing their planned staged reopening. While offices are open to serve patients, they are asked to refrain from going to the facility without first calling to make arrangements. Most care will be provided by phone or virtually and those deemed in need of an in-person visit will be screened on the phone and brought into the office in a controlled manner to prevent overcrowding.

• The Hastings Federation of Agriculture has announced a partnership with Cultivate Counselling Services for the Hastings Farmer Wellness Program. Through this partnership, Ontario Federation of Agriculture members in Hastings County will have access to four, free mental health counseling sessions with a skilled experienced professional who understand the stresses and pressures associated with the agricultural industry. The success of the program, launched in Lennox and Addington county in 2019, has led to its continuation within Lennox and Addington, and as of June 1, Hastings County has launched their Farmer Wellness Program.

• Quinte Health Care is grateful for all the donations and protective equipment they have received from the community. For now, they are exclusively accepting donations of sewn cloth masks (they are so essential because patients and visitors wear them as they enter their hospitals, providing protection for them and health care providers). QHC needs more of these masks. They also remain appreciative of N95 mask donations. To donate, email covidwarehousecoordinator@qhc.on.ca or call 613-438-4394.

• Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) is celebrating their Grade 8 graduates. In lieu of a physical graduation ceremony, ALCDSB grade 8 graduates will be part of a virtual graduation ceremony.

• The Community Futures Development Corporation of North & Central Hastings and South Algonquin has issued their June newsletter with helpful information and links for businesses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public Health

• Dr. Ethan Toumishey is hosting our weekly Facebook Live event tomorrow, Thursday, June 4 at 2:00 pm. The broadcast will feature a local COVID-19 update, responses to frequently asked questions, and the opportunity to address questions live to Dr. Toumishey. To participate in the live event, go to the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Facebook page, facebook.com/hpepublichealth, at 2 pm tomorrow. If you have any questions, please email them in advance or share them directly during the broadcast by commenting on the video.

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

Contact Information: 

To give us your comments: klarose@hpeph.ca

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