For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

December 2, 2020

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 147 cumulative lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 39 active, 103 resolved and 5 deceased. There were 9 new cases reported yesterday.
  • There are no local long-term care facilities experiencing COVID-19 outbreak; additional outbreak details can be found online.
  • More information is available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca
• Ontario is reporting 1,707 cases of COVID-19 and 7 deaths as nearly 34,600 tests have been completed. 
   
• In Canada, as at November 23, there are 378,139 total cases of COVID-19 with 66,037 active cases. To date, there have been 12,130 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 11,475,642 individuals tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, Jan. 15, 2020 to Nov. 30, 2020
 

Summary of Cases in Ontario Schools - Updated Dec 1, 2020.

Guidance/Directive Updates

• Nothing new to report.

HPEPH

• HPEPH has created a Safe Traveling During the Pandemic web page. All residents are encouraged to avoid any non-essential travel, especially to and from areas with higher transmission of COVID-19.
• Dr. Oglaza confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 at Procter and Gamble on November 30. HPEPH continues to work with P&G to respond to this outbreak, including identifying and contactig high-risk contacts.

Local Updates

• Quinte Health Care is reminding residents not to give in to COVID-19 fatigue and continue to practice five fundamental actions to reduce exposure in our community.
  • Stay home when ill;
  • Always physical distance with those outside your household;
  • Wear a mask or face covering in public spaces, as well as when physical distancing is difficult or not possible;
  • Wash your hands often, and clean frequently touched surfaces;
  • Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.

Provincial

Ontario Moving Regions to New Levels in COVID-19 Response Framework:

• The provincial government is moving five public health regions to new levels with stronger public health measures. These steps are being taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 in order to keep schools open, safeguard health system capacity, and protect the province's most vulnerable populations.
  • Red-Control
    • Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
  • Orange-Restrict
    • Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit.
  • Yellow-Protect
    • Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
    • Lambton Public Health; and
    • Northwestern Health Unit.

Province Proposes Cap on Delivery Fees to Support Local Restaurants:

• The Ontario government is helping local restaurants by introducing new legislation that would protect them from high delivery fees. The Supporting Local Restaurants Act, 2020, would cap fees charged by food delivery companies in areas where indoor dining is prohibited to help more small and independent restaurants stay in business

Ontario Collaborates with Industry Experts to Plan the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout:

• The provincial government is collaborating with leaders and experts in a wide variety of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, health care and logistics, to develop a plan for the safe and efficient distribution of COVID-19 vaccines when they become available.
• Ontario will be ready by December 31, 2020 to receive vaccines, with the first doses of vaccines expected to be made available in 2021. The province will receive initial logistical support from vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer.

Ontario Providing Additional Financial Support for Young Learners:

• The provincial government is providing financial relief for families facing new education-related expenses in the COVID-19 era with support totalling $380M.
• Parents/guardians residing in Ontario can complete a simple online application through the Support for Learners web page to receive a one-time payment of:
  • $200 for each child aged 0 to 12 years old;
  • $250 for each child or youth aged 0 to 21 years old with special needs

Federal

Government of Canada Releases Supporting Canadians and Fighting COVID-19: Fall Economic Statement 2020:

• Finance Minister Freeland unveiled her long-awaited Fall Economic Statement yesterday. It proposes new measures to see Canadians through the pandemic and support a robust and resilient recovery, including:
  • To fight COVID-19, investments in testing and tracing, procurement of personal protective equipment, and a suite of measures to protect people in long-term care, and $150M to improve ventilation in public buildings and help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
  • To support businesses big and small through the second wave, increasing the maximum rate of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to 75 per cent for the period beginning December 20, 2020 and extending this rate until March 13, 2021, and extending the current rates of the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support until March 13, 2021. Both programs will be there for businesses until June 2021.
  • To support Canada’s hardest-hit industries, like tourism, hotels, arts and culture, and the air sector, new support including the new Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program.
  • To help families with young children through the pandemic, provide temporary support of up to $1,200 in 2021 for each child under the age of six for families entitled to the Canada Child Benefit.

Government of Canada announces extension of travel restrictions:

• The federal government has announced that it will extend the Mandatory Isolation Order and temporary travel restrictions for all travelers seeking entry into Canada from a country other than the US, until January 21, 2021.
• Travel restrictions for US citizens and foreign nationals arriving from the US remain in place until December 21, 2020 and may be extended at that time.

Statement from Dr. Tam (Nov 30):

• Cases are increasing among older adults, with those aged 80 years and older currently having the highest incidence rate, nationally.
• More and larger outbreaks are occurring in long term care homes, congregate living settings and hospitals, and spreading in Indigenous communities and more remote areas of the country. These developments are deeply concerning as they put countless Canadians at risk of life-threatening illness, cause serious disruptions to health services and present significant challenges for areas not adequately equipped to manage complex medical emergencies.

Canada announces new measures to prevent drug shortages:

• Drug shortages remain a global challenge and COVID-19 has increased demand for certain drugs, adding to the complexity of ensuring drug supply where it is needed.
• Starting November 27, certain drugs intended for the Canadian market are prohibited from being distributed for consumption outside of Canada if that sale would cause or worsen a drug shortage.
• Companies will now also be required to provide information to assess existing or potential shortages, when requested, and within 24 hours if there is a serious or imminent health risk.

Other News

• Yesterday, Johnson and Johnson submitted their Janssen COVID-19 vaccine to Health Canada for approval.
• Ottawa announced a deal with Janssen on August 31 to secure up to 38 million doses of the vaccine — which requires only one dose to provide immunity, instead of two.

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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