For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

May 25, 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 1,103 cumulative lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 36 active, 1,056 resolved and 11 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: 463
• 7 day case rate - 18.4 per 100,000                ~ Positivity Rate - 1.0%
• Vaccines administered to date:  84,760          ~ Fully vaccinated individuals to date:  6,761

• Ontario is reporting 1,039 cases and 33 new deaths as 16,900 tests yesterday and 20,200 on May 23 were completed. There are 325 new cases in Toronto, 231 in Peel, and 77 in York Region.

• In Canada, as at May 24, 2021, there are 1,361,564 total cases of COVID-19 with 51,818 active cases and 1,284,481 recovered. To date, there have been 25,265 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 34,218,813 individuals tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to May 24, 2021

Summary of Cases in Ontario Schools - Updated April 27, 2021.

Schools are not being reported during the current period of remote learning.  Reporting will resume after in-person learning resumes.

Local Updates

Upcoming Vaccincation Clinics - 12+ years of age (starting May 23)

Loyalist College - Belleville - 9 am to 4 pm 

• Wednesday, May 26
• Thursday, May 27
• Friday, May 28
• Saturday, May 29

Madoc Township Hall - Eldorado - 10 am to 4 pm 

• Wednesday, June 9

Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Centre - Trenton - 9 am to 4 pm

• Wednesday, May 26
• Thursday, May 27
• Friday, May 28
• Saturday, May 29

Prince Edward Community Centre - Picton - 9:30 am to 3:30 pm

• Thursday, May 27

Bancroft Legion - Bancroft - 10 am - 3 pm

• Friday, May 28

Provincial

Paramedic Services Week 2021 kicks of this Sunday

• Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the important role Paramedic Services play in keeping communities across Ontario safe and healthy has never been more apparent. Paramedic Services Week 2021, which takes place from May 23 to 29, is an opportunity to recognize the tireless work and dedication of paramedics.
• Join us this week in raising awareness of the enormous contribution of paramedics in maintaining safe and healthy communities.

COVID-19 Vaccine Booking Expanding to Youth 12+ Ahead of Schedule

• As of 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 23, 2021, youth aged 12 and over across Ontario will be eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the provincial booking system and call centre, as well as at select pharmacies administering the Pfizer vaccine. To book an appointment online, these individuals must already be 12 years old as of the date of their booking.

Protect yourself from ticks bites and Lyme disease

• Lyme disease is a potentially serious infection that comes from being bitten by an infected blacklegged tick. Infected ticks can be found almost anywhere in Ontario, particularly in wooded areas or areas with tall grasses and bushes, including city gardens and parks.
• Blacklegged ticks are small and hard to see. If you find ticks on your body, remove them immediately with tweezers and clean the area with soap and water. If you have any symptoms or health concerns after a tick bite, consult a health care provider as soon as possible. If caught early, most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics.

Ontario opening up outdoor visits for long-term care

• In response to improvements in key public health care indicators, Ontario is pleased to announce that friends and family can now visit long-term care homes to see residents for an outdoor visit. The changes take effect Saturday, May 22.
• In consultation with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Ministry of Long-Term Care has updated Directive #3, as well as the ministry’s visitor policy and guidance document to set out the following:
  • A maximum of two general visitors at a time per resident in addition to two essential caregiver(s).
  • Children under the age of two years do not count towards the general visitor maximum.
  • General visitors need to be actively screened upon arrival and should not proceed beyond entry points / areas in homes.
  • General visitors do not need to undergo a rapid antigen test as their visit will be outdoors.
  • General visitors need to maintain physical distancing and wear masks and every effort should be made to ensure different groups of visitors are also physically distanced.
  • Recognizing that not all homes have enough outdoor space, these visits may also take place in the general vicinity of the home. Homes should leverage nearby amenities such as local parks or parkettes to enable family and friends to visit their loved ones.

Ontario proceeding with second dose administration of AstraZeneca

• The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other public health experts, is proceeding with second dose administration of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, beginning with those who received their first dose of the vaccine between March 10 and March 19, 2021.
• Eligible individuals are encouraged to contact the pharmacy or primary care provider where they received their first dose and can book an appointment beginning the week of May 24. This will begin in the regions where the AstraZeneca vaccine was initially launched in pharmacies and primary care settings in March 2021. Primary care settings and pharmacies may also be reaching out to eligible Ontarians.

Ontario releases three-step roadmap to safely reopen the province

• The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, has released its Roadmap to Reopen, a three-step plan to safely and cautiously reopen the province and gradually lift public health measures based on the provincewide vaccination rate and improvements in key public health and health care indicators. In response to recent improvements to these indicators, Ontario will allow more outdoor recreational amenities to reopen, with restrictions in place, effective May 22, 2021 at 12:01 a.m.
• The province will remain in each step for at least 21 days to evaluate any impacts on key public health and health system indicators. If at the end of the 21 days, the following vaccination thresholds have been met, along with positive trends in other key public health and health system indicators, then the province will move to the next step:
  • Step 1: 60 percent of adults vaccinated with one dose.
  • Step 2: 70 percent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 20 percent vaccinated with two doses.
  • Step 3: 70 to 80 percent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 25 percent vaccinated with two doses.

Ontario Provincial Booking System for COVID-19 Vaccines Information

• To make an appointment visit Ontario.ca/bookvaccine.
• For individuals who do not have internet access, they can call the Provincial Booking Line at
  1-833-943-3900, open Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• When booking an appointment, individuals will be asked for information from their green Ontario health card, birth date, postal code and email address and/or phone number. At the time of booking, eligible individuals will schedule their first and second vaccination appointments.
• Individuals who still have a red and white health card, or who require assistance with booking, can call the Provincial Vaccine Information Line number at 1-888-999-6488.

Federal

• To continue managing the elevated risk of imported COVID-19 cases into Canada, the Government of Canada has extended the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) restricting all direct commercial and private passenger flights to Canada from India and Pakistan until June 21, 2021 at 23:59 EDT
  • The government is also extending the requirement for air passengers who depart India or Pakistan to Canada, via an indirect route, to obtain a COVID-19 pre-departure test from a third country before continuing their journey to Canada.

HPEPH

Media Releases:

• Warning for people who use drugs in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties

Useful Links

• HPEPH COVID-19 General Information
• HPEPH COVID-19 Information for Health Care Providers
• How Ontario is responding to COVID-19
• Public Health Ontario Coronavirus Disease
• Canada Coronavirus disease

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

Contact Information: 

To give us your comments: etubbs@hpeph.ca

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