For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

May 19, 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 182 probable cases, with 29 lab-confirmed cases having recovered and 5 deceased.
    • Approximately 5,870 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, with a 0.8% positivity rate.
    • Facilities experiencing COVID-19 outbreak can be found online.
    • More details are available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca.
  • In Canada, there are 78,061 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 resulting in 5,842 deaths. To date, over 1,323,447 individuals have been tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to May 18, 2020

  Number    Percentage
Number of cases 23,384 N/A
Change from previous report 427 1.9 increase
Subset of cases that are reported to be long-term care residents 4,235 18.1
Change from previous report N/A N/A
Subset of cases that are reported as a health care worker associated with   long-term care outbreaks 1,456 6.2
Change from previous report N/A N/A
Resolved 17,898 76.5
Total number of deaths 1,919 8.2
Deaths reported for residents in long-term care homes 1,115 58.1
Deaths reported for health care workers in long-term care homes 3 0.2
Demographics    
Male 9,919 42.4
Female 13,294 56.9
19 and under 668 2.9
20-39 5,707 24.4
40-59 7,155 30.6
60-79 4,923 21.1
80 and over 4,916 21.0
Testing    
Total tests completed 559,794 N/A
Total tests completed in the previous day 5,813 N/A
Currently under investigation 2,294 N/A
Hospitalizations    
Number of patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 987 N/A
Number of patients currently in ICU with COVID-19 167 N/A
Number of patients currently in ICU on a ventilator with COVID-19 123

N/A

 Note: 171 cases did not specify male or female. 15 cases had an unknown age.

  • There are 23,384 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario reported to date.
    • 42.4% of cases are male, 56.9% are female.
    • 42.1% of cases are 60 years of age and older.
    • Greater Toronto Area public health units account for 63.1% of cases.
    • 12.9% of cases were hospitalized.
  • 1,919 deaths have been reported (please note there may be a reporting delay for deaths).
  • 280 outbreaks have been reported in long-term care homes.

Federal

Funding for Canada's Academic Research Community

  • The Prime Minister announced $450 million in funding to help Canada's academic research community during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding is a part of the Government of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan and in support of the post-pandemic economic recovery.
  • This funding will:
    • Provide wage supports to universities and health research institutes to retain research staff who are funded from industry or philanthropic sources and are unable to access the existing COVID-19 support measures.
    • Cover temporarily suspended employees.
    • Provide a wage subsidy of up to 75 percent per individual, with a maximum of $847 per week.
    • Support and maintain essential research-related activities including safe storage of dangerous substances, and restarting data sets that were interrupted during the pandemic.

Extension & Expansion of Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)

  • Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the CEWS will be extended for three more months until August 29. This extension will give employers more "runway" to resume operations slowly and encourage the rehiring of staff. The Prime Minister also said that "meeting a decline shouldn't be a barrier to growth" and the government is considering making adjustments to the program, specifically the 30 percent revenue decline criteria.
  • Finance Minister Morneau indicated that the CEWS is broadening its eligibility criteria to include more sectors. This change will be effective immediately and retroactively to March 15. The following organizations will now be able to apply for CEWS:
    • Indigenous-government-owned corporations or partnerships.
    • Amateur athletic associations.
    • Registered journalism organizations.
    • Private colleges and training schools.

Open for Applications: Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) and Summer Job Bank

  • The CESB opened Friday for students and recent graduates and will provide students with $1,250 a month (or $1750 a month to those with a disability or acting as a caretaker) from May to August.
  • The federal government has linked the Government of Canada Job Bank to the application for CESB and the Prime Minister encouraged students to apply for jobs.

Annual Increase to Canadian Child Benefit

  • Prime Minister Trudeau announced Saturday that the CCB will be increased in July, to help families keep up with the costs of living and raising their children.
  • This additional tax-free support will help families pay for things such as food, clothes, and activities they can do together at home. The increase will be in place for the 2020-21 benefit year, and will raise the maximum benefit to $6,765 per child under age 6, and $5,708 per child age 6 through 17.

Support for the Canadian Red Cross

  • Saturday, Prime Minister Trudeau, announced up to $100 million in funding to help the Red Cross meet increased demand due to COVID-19, and to support future flood and wildfire relief efforts.
  • The funding includes up to $41 million to address immediate COVID-19 needs, with over $15 million committed to enhance the Red Cross’ response capacity and $25 million to support public health efforts.

Provincial

A number of issues arose during the media briefing with Premier Ford and Health Minister Elliott on Friday. The following are some of the key messages conveyed:

  • Evictions - The Premier encouraged commercial landlords to "have a heart... for the little guy" and not evict those small businesses that can't make their rent; however, when questioned about adopting a moratorium on commercial evictions as other provinces have done, the Premier did not indicate he was willing to do so.
  • Ontario Disability Support Program - Premier Ford explained that the province does not have enough money to provide an increase to this program despite hearing that many on the program are struggled to make ends meet.
  • Pandemic Pay - This program was intended to support those who are risking their lives on a daily basis by working closely with those who are infected; the Premier said that while many may deserve this pay, the province can't afford to pay more than the 375,000 front line workers who are going to receive the pay.
  • Increasing Social Gatherings - Health Minister Elliott indicated that Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health is considering when to increase the number of people who can get together beyond five; we can expect to hear more this week about the safest way to approach this next step.
  • Data Glitch - Health Minister Elliott explained that there was a technological glitch on Thursday, where 87 cases from Toronto were not included in the daily COVID-9 case count; this issue was resolved and is not expected to occur again.
  • Decisions on Business Openings in Stage 1 - The Premier indicated that the list of which businesses and services are able to open under Stage 1 was developed with input from various sources (e.g. internal committees, the party caucus, stakeholders) but it was the health table that made the final decisions.

Ontario Announces Independent Commission into Long-Term Care

  • Today, Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care, issued a statement indicating that that the province will be launching an independent commission into Ontario's long-term care system, beginning in September.
  • Dr. Fullerton stated "...the long-term care system in Ontario is broken. We must act quickly and decisively, and that is why an independent non-partisan commission is the best way to conduct a thorough and expedited review."
  • Over the next several months, the provincial government will be finalizing details of the commission, including terms of reference, membership, leadership of the commission and reporting timelines.

Ontario Schools to Remain Closed

  • The Ontario government is keeping schools closed for the rest of this school year. This decision was made after consulting with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, health experts on the COVID-19 Command Table, and medical experts at The Hospital for Sick Children.
  • At the same time, the government is planning for the reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year, the gradual reopening of child care, and the opening of summer day camps subject to the continuing progress in trends of key public health indicators.
  • Private schools, licensed child care centres and EarlyON programs will also remain closed for the safety and protection of children, families and staff through Stage 1 of the Framework for Reopening the Province. Emergency child care will continue to operate and provide support for health care and other frontline workers.
  • Assuming trends in key public health indicators continue to improve, summer day camps, both indoor and outdoor, may be permitted in July and August of this year with strict health and safety guidelines to be developed in partnership with local public health, the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, and municipalities. Overnight camps will not be permitted to operate in the summer of 2020.

Local
  • In Prince Edward County, following the province’s announcement that additional workplaces can reopen, Shire Hall (332 Picton Main Street) and the Picton fire hall (8 McDonald Drive) reopen today to once again serve the public. The offices will be open between 8:30 am and 3 pm, Monday to Friday with limited services available and enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols in place. Residents will be able to pay a bill or purchase a burn permit.
  • The Quinte West City Council meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will happen virtually, as Councillors continue to practise social distancing. Tune into the virtual meeting here: http://bit.ly/LiveQWCouncil.
  • In Quinte West, The Trent Port Marina will continue with plans to open docks to seasonal boaters on June 1, 2020. The Fueling Station will also open June 1, with restricted hours from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. Arrangements for fueling must be made in advance by calling on VHF Channel 68 or 613-392-2841, ext. 7100.
  • The City of Belleville is pleased to announce that Myers Pier and Victoria Harbour marinas will open on Saturday, May 30; city staff are busy preparing for this date. In addition to clear signage outlining safety protocols such as physical distancing, there will also be postings regarding guidelines such as one boat on the service dock at a time, the closure of laundry and shower facilities, and public reminders about the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, what to do if they feel unwell and how to protect themselves (hand hygiene, etc.).
  • In North Hastings, Centre Hastings and Tweed, effective 12:01 a.m. May 16, the Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) designation that was put in place last month across Ontario's fire region was lifted. The province will continue to assess forest fire hazard conditions and an RFZ designation may be reinstated in higher risk areas if conditions deteriorate. These restrictions are designed to reduce the number of preventable human-caused fires and lower the risk of wildfires.

Libraries

  • Belleville Public Library is reminding residents that if they do not have a library card and would like to access Virtual Branch while they are closed, email infoserv@bellevillelibrary.ca to be registered for an Internet only card which will allow you 24/7 access to all of their online resources.

  • Staff at the Quinte West Public Libraray are working to offer pick-up and delivery services and ask for patience while they procude the necessary supplies and ensure that safe protocols are in place. They will update the public as their schedule is revised. Virtual library services are available 24/7 through the library website.

Public Health
  • The HPEPH COVID-19 information line is now open between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, 7 days a week. Anyone with questions or concerns regarding COVID-19 may contact Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000 or make a self-referral to a local COVID-19 assessment centre (contact information available on our website). Anyone with symptoms is encouraged to seek testing.

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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