For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

June 22, 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 1,127 cumulative lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 2 active, 1,114 resolved and 11 deceased. There were no 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: 493
• 7 day case rate: 0.6 per 100,000                         ~ Positivity Rate: 0.4%
• Individuals with first dose:  110,069                     ~ Fully vaccinated individuals to date:  30,360

Vaccinations by Client Location - Dose 1 (as at June 21, 2021)

• Ontario is reporting 296 cases of COVID19 as nearly 16,800 tests were completed. There are 123 new cases in Toronto, 61 in the Region of Waterloo, 37 in York Region and 20 in Peel Region.

• In Canada, as at June 14, 2021, there are 1,409,607 total cases of COVID-19 with 11,029 active cases and 1,372,491 recovered. To date, there have been 26,087 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 36,243,642 individuals tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to June 21, 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 Vaccination Clinics - 12+ years of age

Loyalist College - Belleville - 9 am to 4 pm 

• Tuesday, June 22
• Thursday, June 24
• Friday, June 25
• Monday, June 28
• Tuesday, June 29

Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre - Belleville - 9 am to 4 pm

• Tuesday, June 22
• Wednesday, June 23
• Thursday, June 24
• Friday, June 25
• Saturday, June 26
• Monday, June 28
• Tuesday, June 29

Madoc Township Hall - Eldorado - 10 am to 4 pm 

• Wednesday, June 23

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

• Tuesday June 22
• Wednesday, June 23
• Thursday, June 24

Bancroft Legion - Bancroft - 10 am - 3 pm

• Tuesday, June 22
• Friday, June 25
• Sunday, June 27
• Tuesday, June 29

Hastings Highlands Municipal Building - Maynooth - 10 am - 2 pm

• Thursday, June 24

Provincial

Overview of Trends and Cases

• Since last Thursday, Ontario has reported an additional 1,288 cases of new COVID-19 infections, including 345 people on Friday, 355 people on Saturday, 318 on Sunday, and 270 yesterday.
• Ontario’s current seven-day average is 334 cases per day, which is down from 503 last week.
• Sadly, an additional 29 people have died since last Thursday. 
• The number of hospitalizations and ICU patients continues to show improvement, with about 261 people in hospitals with COVID-19; this number may be underreported as several hospitals did not report over the weekend.
• There are also 322 patients in ICUs, some of whom have been transferred in from Manitoba; there are 309 Ontarians in ICUs.
• 13,828 tests were processed yesterday with a positivity rate of 2.5%. The current seven-day average for percent positivity is 1.7%, which is down from 2.3% last week.

Interchangeability of Vaccines, Booster Shots and Mask-Mandate

• Asked about reports that the Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. is looking into the possibility of COVID-19 booster shots in the fall, Dr. Williams noted that federal health officials and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) are also reviewing the matter, although no recommendations have been made to date.
• In response to reports of people leaving appointments after being offered Moderna for their second dose after having received Pfizer as their first one, Dr. Huyer reiterated NACI’s recommendation that both mRNA vaccines use the same technology and provide strong protection against COVID-19. The head of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, Dr. Juni, also emphasized that “these are interchangeable … there’s no better or worse between these two.”
• Asked if Ontario would lift its mask-mandate after entering Step 3 of the reopening plan, Dr. Williams suggested that “the Public Health Measures Table will be looking at what is beyond Step 3.”
• Dr. Williams noted that a number of factors will be considered when deciding to lift the mask-mandate in Ontario, “where the amount of travel in and out far supersedes any of those seen in places like Alberta or Saskatchewan.”

Accelerated Second Dose Eligibility Continues Ahead of Schedule

• Starting June 21st, all Ontarians who received their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) on or before May 9th will be eligible to book or rebook their second dose appointment at a shortened interval.
• Starting June 23rd, individuals who received their first dose of an mRNA vaccine on or before May 30th and live in Delta variant hotspots will also be eligible to book second dose appointments at a shortened interval. The 10 public health regions identified as Delta hotspots include Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Peel, Porcupine, Simcoe-Muskoka, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, and York public health units
• Starting the week of June 28th, all Ontarians aged 18 and over who have received their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible to book their second dose appointment. The appointment will be scheduled at least 28 days after the first dose, per the recommended interval.

Canada and Ontario Invest More than $22.2M in Municipal Infrastructure to Respond to the Impacts of COVID-19 in Eastern Ontario

• Communities across Canada are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic and need immediate assistance to ensure their public infrastructure is safe and reliable.
• The Government of Canada is investing over $17.7M in municipalities through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is contributing more than $4.4M.
• Funding will support upgrades to improve and protect important municipal buildings such as town centres and emergency and healthcare facilities. Additional investments will rehabilitate recreational and community infrastructure across eastern Ontario, and include improvements to local trail and pedestrian path systems. These investments will provide thousands of residents with access to modern recreational infrastructure where they can safely maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Visit Ontario.ca for a list of local funding recipients.

Federal

Incoming Changes to Travel Restrictions

• Canada will be lifting most international travel restrictions for Canadians who are fully vaccinated, starting July 5th. Eligible travelers will not have to self-isolate but will still have to take COVID-19 tests before and upon arrival.
• Unvaccinated children of fully-vaccinated parents will still have to quarantine for 14-days at home because they can still transmit COVID-19.
• These new rules will only apply to people already eligible to travel to Canada, including citizens, permanent residents and others under special circumstances.
• Public Safety Minister Blair said the next phase of border reopening would allow fully vaccinated travelers into Canada for non-essential travel.
• Minister Blair said further relaxing of border restrictions "will take into account vaccination thresholds and modeling forecasts, as well as public health criteria."
• Health Minister Hajdu said 75% of Canadians need to be fully vaccinated before the government reconsiders further relaxation of border restrictions. Additional details could be announced in the coming weeks or before July 21st.
• The only airports that are open to international flights for now are in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal. The federal government is reviewing the possibility of expanding the number of airports where international flights can land.

Vaccine Certification

• Prime Minister Trudeau said his government is “working on two tracks in terms of proof of vaccination for Canadians who wish to travel; In the initial phase we are going to be working with the ArriveCan app in ways that people can upload an image of their proof of vaccination … so that border agents on their return to Canada can verify that they are fully vaccinated. That’s something we will have in place in the coming weeks.”
• Prime Minister Trudeau confirmed that the federal government is also working with the provinces to “establish a national certification of vaccination status” that “will be easily accepted around the world for people who need to travel internationally.” The Prime Minister suggested that the national vaccine passport would be ready by the fall.
• The Prime Minister said his government would require provinces to share their vaccination records with the federal government so they could implement the national vaccination certification.

Extension of Border Measures and Incoming Changes to Travel Restrictions

• On the extension of the border restrictions, Prime Minister Trudeau said that "we have to hit our targets of 75 percent vaccinated with a first dose and at least 20 percent vaccinated with a second dose before we can start loosening things up."
• The Prime Minister explained that "even a fully vaccinated individual can pass on COVID-19 to someone who is not vaccinated and that means we have to really make sure that not only people who are fully vaccinated can travel, but that the communities to which they will return are not at risk."
• Public Safety Minister Blair said measures for fully vaccinated Canadians, permanent residents, and others permitted to enter Canada will be announced on Monday, June 21st.
• Prime Minister Trudeau said his government is working to make sure those who were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccines will not be disadvantaged when they want to travel. He said the U.S. hasn’t determined what their criteria will be yet and his government is working with officials to get on the same page.

NACI Updated Guidance on First and Second Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines

• For first doses, NACI recommends that:
  • An mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) is preferred to start a vaccine series, unless there is a contraindication, for example, because of an allergy to an mRNA vaccine or its components.
  • A viral vector vaccine (AstraZeneca, Janssen) may be offered to start a vaccine series when an mRNA vaccine is inaccessible or contraindicated, for example, because of an allergy to an mRNA vaccine or its components.
• For second doses, NACI recommends that:
  • Individuals who received a first dose of an mRNA vaccine should be offered the same mRNA product for their second dose. If the same product is not readily available, or the product used for the first dose is unknown, another mRNA vaccine is considered interchangeable and should be used to complete the series.
  • An mRNA vaccine is now preferred as the second dose for individuals who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine, based on emerging evidence of a potentially better immune response from this mixed vaccine schedule and to mitigate the potential risk of VITT associated with viral vector vaccines.
  • People who received two doses of AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine can rest assured that the vaccine provides good protection against infection and very good protection against severe disease and hospitalization.

HPEPH

• Media Release: Residents still waiting for first dose vaccination appointment encouraged to book as soon as possible
• Haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccination? We want to hear from you!
  • To ensure all members of the community have access to the vaccine, HPEPH wants to learn more about why residents might be unable to book an appointment, or why they might choose not to get vaccinated. If you have not received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccination for either reason, we want to hear from you! Please share your input by completing our short, anonymous survey.
  • The survey, which should take no more than five minutes to complete, will help HPEPH understand how we can improve access to and/or available information about COVID-19 vaccination. As a thank you for those who take the time to provide feedback, individuals who participate can choose to provide contact information for a chance to win a $25 gift card to a local store. To participate, the survey must be completed by July 16, 2021.

Useful Links

• Ontario's Roadmap to Reopen
• HPEPH COVID-19 Vaccine Booking and Eligibility web page
• HPEPH COVID-19 Vaccine Standby List
• HPEPH COVID-19 General Information
• HPEPH COVID-19 Information for Health Care Providers
• How Ontario is responding to COVID-19
• Public Health Ontario - COVID-19
• Canada.ca - COVID-19

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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