Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners December 1, 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. | - Hastings and Prince Edward Counties have 1,748 cumulative lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 151 active, 1,581 resolved and 16 deceased. There were 29 new cases reported today.
- There are no local retirement facilities experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak; additional outbreak details can be found online.
- More information is available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca
- 7 day case rate: 75.2 per 100,000
- Positivity Rate: 3.0%
- Vaccinations among residents 5 and older:
- First Dose: 136,622 (83%)
- Fully Vaccinated: 128,549 (78%)
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Ontario is reporting 780 new cases and five more COVID-19 related deaths have been confirmed since yesterday. -
In Canada, as of November 30, 2021, there are 1,792,500 total cases of COVID-19 with 25,557 active cases and 1,737,256 resolved. To date, there have been 29,687 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 48,807,147 individuals tested. | Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to December 1, 2021 | Report | Number | Percentage | | Number of Cases | 619,270 | N/A | | Change from previous day’s report (new cases) | 780 | 0.1% increase | | Resolved | 602,515 | 97.3 | | Change from previous report | 965 | 0.2% increase | | Total number of deaths | 10,005 | 1.6 | | Total tests completed | 19,811,701 | N/A | | Total test completed in the previous day | 35,364 | N/A | | Currently under investigation | 16,736 | N/A | | Summary of Cases in Ontario Schools - December 1, 2021 | Report | Number of New Cases | Cumulative Cases | | School-related cases | 185 | 7,742 | | School-related student cases | 167 | 6,871 | | School-related staff cases | 16 | 747 | | Individual(s) not identified (other staff) | 2 | 124 | | Current number of schools with a reported case | 763 | N/A | | Current number of schools closed | 13 | N/A | | Upcoming Vaccination Clinics All eligible individuals born in 2016 and earlier may book an appointment at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre in Belleville or Prince Edward Community Centre in Picton through the provincial booking site for first, second or third/booster doses. Appointments are required at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre. The Prince Edward Community Centre will accept walk-ins for individuals born in 2009 and earlier for first or second doses. Children age 5-11 and individuals seeking booster/third doses must book an appointment. Participating local pharmacies are also offering COVID-19 vaccinations. To view a list of nearby pharmacies, visit covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations. Additional clinic locations for children age 5-11 have been added to the provincial booking system. These clinics require an appointment. - HPEPH Belleville Office 179 N Park St, Belleville - December 4
- Central Hastings School, Madoc - December 7
- Trenton High School, Quinte West - December 9
Clinics are updated regularly. Please view the HPEPH Booking and Eligibility Page for the latest information. | Statement: Ontario Confirms First Two Cases of Omicron Variant - Ontario has confirmed two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Ottawa, both of which were reported in individuals with recent travel from Nigeria.
- Anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, even if they are mild, is strongly recommended to get tested.
COVID-19 Vaccine Bookings Open For All Children Aged Five to 11 - Children aged five to 11 are now eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through a variety of channels including the COVID-19 vaccination portal and contact centre, participating pharmacies which individuals can find on Ontario’s website using the pharmacy locator, and select primary care providers.
- Children aged five to 11 (and turning age five in 2021) will receive the paediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine which is a slightly modified, lower dose (one-third the amount given to individuals aged 12 and over), in a two-dose series at a recommended interval of eight weeks between first and second doses.
- Paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine: Frequently Asked Questions
Ontario Enhancing COVID-19 Winter Testing - The Ontario government is enhancing COVID-19 testing by expanding the number of testing locations and making it more convenient to access publicly funded testing for those who need it.
- Strategies include:
- Access to publicly funded COVID-19 PCR specimen collection in select pharmacies for all individuals eligible for testing, including symptomatic individuals and close contacts. Pharmacies must choose to opt-in to this service and will be required to follow stringent infection prevention and control measures to protect staff, patients and customers against COVID-19.
- Providing take-home PCR self-collection kits for eligible individuals, allowing them to pick up their free test and drop off their specimens at participating pharmacies across Ontario, providing a more convenient and consistent testing option in rural and remote areas.
- Bringing asymptomatic testing directly to Ontarians with pop-up testing sites in higher-traffic public settings to provide vaccine education and help reduce the risk of transmission over the holidays. Starting in mid-December, testing options will be offered to people without symptoms in various settings across the province. Sites will be announced in the coming weeks and will be selected based on a risk analysis of hot-spot zones.
- Specific testing measures will also be implemented for school communities:
- Providing take-home PCR self-collection kits to all publicly funded schools for students and staff who are eligible for testing as per the provincial testing guidance. All private and First Nation schools have also been asked if they would like to access take-home PCR self-collection kits. Students will be able to drop off their specimens at a convenient community location, including participating pharmacies across Ontario.
- Distributing 11 million rapid antigen screening tests to all public schools ahead of the December break to add an additional layer of protection over the holiday period and as students return to school in January. Each student will take home a pack of five rapid antigen tests to use over the holidays and throughout the return to in-person learning. All First Nation schools will also have the opportunity to participate.
| Government of Canada introduces new measures to address COVID-19 Omicron variant of concern - As a precautionary measure, until January 31, 2022, the Government of Canada is implementing enhanced border measures for all travellers who have been in the Southern Africa region — including South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia— within the last 14 days before arriving in Canada.
- Statement on the Omicron variant of concern found in Ontario
Health Canada announces results of Emergent BioSolutions facility inspection - Health Canada’s compliant rating means that Janssen Inc. will be able to import their vaccines into Canada that are made with the drug substance manufactured at the Emergent BioSolutions facility.
Government introduces legislation to create jobs and implement targeted COVID-19 support Backgrounder: Canada Emergency Response Benefit Advance Payment Government of Canada introduces legislation to support workers with ten days of paid sick leave, protect health care workers and finish the fight against COVID-19 - November 26th legislation was introduced that would amend the Canada Labour Code to provide ten days of paid sick leave per year to workers in the federally regulated private sector.
- The Government will convene provinces, territories and other interested stakeholders to develop a national action plan to legislate paid sick leave across the country, while respecting provincial-territorial jurisdiction and clearly recognizing the unique needs of small business owners.
- Amendments to the Criminal Code would create a new intimidation offence to protect health care workers and persons seeking health services. The amendments would also create a specific offence that would prohibit obstructing any person from accessing health facilities.
Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada - Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnant, Recently Pregnant and Breastfeeding People - There is growing evidence that pregnant people and their babies are at increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. This can result in hospitalization, intensive care admission and tragically may lead to death. As well, COVID-19 infection is associated with increased risk of complications during pregnancy such as preterm birth, stillbirth, low-birth weight, and caesarean birth.
- Babies under one year of age are more likely than older children to develop serious illness with COVID-19 and unvaccinated parents are at higher risk of infecting those around them, including their babies.
Online Courses Provide Guidance on Safe Return to Work During COVID-19 Pandemic - The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has released two free online courses to help workplaces and employees prepare for a safe return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both courses are available for free on the CCOHS website.
Health Canada authorizes use of Comirnaty (the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine) in children 5 to 11 years of age - Health Canada authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11 years of age on November 19.
Statement from the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health (CCMOH): COVID-19 Vaccination in Children 5-11 years of age - As of mid-November, children 5-11 years of age have the highest rate of COVID-19 cases across all age groups, although hospitalization rates have remained low.
- The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has provided its guidance on the use of pediatric vaccines in COVID-19 vaccination programs.
Adjustments to Canada’s border and travel measures - Effective November 30, 2021, fully vaccinated individuals with right of entry to Canada who depart and re-enter the country within 72 hours of leaving Canada will not have to present a pre-entry molecular test.
- Also effective November 30, 2021, Canada will expand the list of COVID-19 vaccines that travellers can receive to be considered fully vaccinated for the purpose of travel to Canada. The list will include Sinopharm, Sinovac and COVAXIN, matching the World Health Organization Emergency Use Listing.
- The Government of Canada is also announcing that as of January 15, 2022, certain groups of travellers, who are currently exempt from entry requirements, will only be allowed to enter the country if they are fully vaccinated with one of the vaccines approved for entry into Canada. These groups include:
- individuals travelling to reunite with family (unvaccinated children under 18 years of age will retain exemption if travelling to reunite with an immediate or extended family member who is a Canadian, permanent resident, or person registered under the Indian Act);
- international students who are 18 years old and older;
- professional and amateur athletes;
- individuals with a valid work permit, including temporary foreign workers (outside of those in agriculture and food processing); and◦essential service providers, including truck drivers.
| We want to ensure this bulletin is as useful as possible. Please send your questions, comments and suggestions to communications@hpeph.ca | You have received this email at from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health as a result of a request you have made or due to a service/subscription that you are registered for. While you may discontinue your subscription to this mailing at any time by pressing the unsubscribe button below, this bulletin will be used to provide important updates about COVID-19 in our community. | | | | |
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