For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

January 19, 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 361 cumulative lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 25 active, 331 resolved and 5 deceased. There were 3 new cases reported today.
  • There are 2 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
• Vaccines administered to date:  79
• Ontario is reporting 1,913 cases of COVID-19 and 46 deaths as nearly 34,500 tests have been completed. There are 550 new cases in Toronto, 346 in Peel, and 235 in York Region.
• In Canada, as at January 18, 2021, there are 715,072 total cases of COVID-19 with 73,919 active cases and 623,033 recovered. To date, there have been 18,120 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 16,612,155 individuals tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to January 18, 2021

Summary of Cases in Ontario Schools - Updated January 19, 2021.

Note, this data is for the in-school northern region schools by health unit district: Algoma, North Bay Parry Sound, Northwestern, Porcupine, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming.

Local Updates

• Quinte Health Care (QHC) is reminding residents that medical care is essential. Ontario's lockdown and stay-at-home order do not mean avoiding getting the medical care you need. Delaying your care or appointment could lead to a worsening of your condition if the treatment you require is time sensitive. QHC hospitals are taking extra safety precautions to keep everyone safe.
• Quinte West: Know someone who is going above & beyond to help neighbours during the COVID-19 crisis? Nominate them a Community Hero. Each month, a QWHero will be featured on the City's social media pages & receive a good deeds bag.
• Quinte West is collaborating with Hastings County, Quinte Access, & Quinte West OPP to support vulnerable residents. If you encounter an individual requiring warm shelter for any reason, contact Hastings County at 866-414-0300 or after hours (evenings & weekends) at 877-528-9514.
• North Hastings:
  • Physicians at the Bancroft Community Family Health Team want you to know they are still here for your Primary Care needs. When you call to book an appointment, you will be triaged and given either a telephone, virtual or in-person appointment.
• Prince Edward County:
  • H.J. McFarland Memorial Home is taking extra precautions in order to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak at the long-term care home.
• The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is requesting that Ontarians voluntarily comply with the new Stay-at-Home Order to limit mobility outside their homes, except for essential reasons, to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
  • OPP officers will enforce the Stay-at-Home Order, under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA), and the Reopening Ontario Act (ROA) by focusing on non-compliance in businesses and restaurants, complaints from the public and outdoor gatherings of more than five (5) people.
  • As a reminder, in the absence of a complaint or other grounds, officers will not arbitrarily stop an individual or a vehicle or enter a dwelling for the singular purpose of checking compliance with the order.
• Belleville: Donation helps City Offset Summer COVID-19 Incurred Costs for Vulnerable Population Support
  • The City of Belleville would like to thank the CMA Foundation for their donation to the City's summer cooling centre’s operating expenses and the FCM for their support in facilitating this critical initiative. Their contributions enabled our community to better protect and assist those who need it most through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Provincial

COVID-19 Vaccine Supply:

• Health Minister Elliott indicated the Pfizer delay could mean a 20 to 80 percent reduction in the delivery of vaccines in the province. She said that one of the next two Pfizer shipments will be 20 percent less than was expected and the other will be 80 percent less.
• The Health Minister noted that by about late February and early March larger shipments of vaccines will be coming.

Increase in Cases, Hospitalizations and Outbreaks:

• Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Yaffe, noted Ontario has reported since last Thursday, that an additional 12,054 new infections have occurred and sadly, another 244 people have lost their lives to COVID-19.
• Dr. Williams said that last week’s modelling suggested if Ontario’s rates of growth stayed on track, even at 3%, we would see around 4,500 to 5,000 new cases a day. He noted that Ontario plateaued around the mid-3,000s last week and went down to the low-3,000s.
• He also explained that the percent positivity went up quite extensively in the weeks during and after the holiday season but this rate has now been dropping. Dr. Williams said he "takes that as a sign that…we're making success, we're making headway."
• So far, Ontario has reported 15 cases of the B.1.1.17 (United Kingdom) virus variant with the most recent care involving someone who resides in London, Ontario and has no history of travel outside of Canada.
• Dr. Yaffe indicated health officials expect more cases to be identified in the weeks to follow as there is evidence now of community transmission. Such transmission is concerning given that data indicates this variant may be spread about 56% more easily than other variants.
• Ontario’s health care system continues to be strained with elevated numbers of people in hospital. At this point 1,571 people are in hospital with COVID-19 or under investigation for it, including almost 400 people in intensive care.

Ontario Achieves Key Milestone with Vaccinations in Long-Term Care:

• The province has reached a key milestone in the fight against COVID-19, completing the first round of vaccinations ahead of schedule in all long-term care homes in Toronto, Peel, York and Windsor-Essex, the four regions with the highest COVID-19 transmission rates.
• The first round of vaccinations has also been administered at all long-term care homes in the Ottawa Public Health Region, Durham Region and Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
• Progress continues to be made with the goal of administering vaccines in all long-term care homes across the province by February 15, 2021.
• To respond to the change in supply of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health has provided updated direction on the administration of second doses:
  • Long-term care and high-risk retirement home residents and their essential caregivers, who have received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, will receive their second dose in 21 to 27 days.
  • Staff who were vaccinated within the homes at the same time as the residents will also follow the same schedule.
  • All other recipients of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine must receive their second dose after 21 days and before 42 days.
  • For individuals who received the Moderna vaccine, the dose schedule of 28 days will remain.

Francophone Non-Profit Organizations can begin Applying for the COVID-19 Relief Fund on January 25, 2021:

• The provincial government announced today that starting January 25, francophone non-profit organizations can begin applying for financial assistance from the $1M COVID-19 Relief Fund. The fund, which is being administered by the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario, will provide operational funding to eligible organizations to support them during the pandemic.

Province Extends Reopening Ontario Act Orders:

• The provincial government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is extending most orders currently in force under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA) for another 30 days.
• Most of the orders under the ROA are extended to February 19, 2021, with the exception of O. Reg. 75/20 (Drinking Water Systems and Sewage Works) which is not being renewed. O. Reg. 82/20 (Rules for Areas in Stage One) was amended to ensure government infrastructure projects are able to continue as essential construction activities.
• The list of orders under the ROA and the EMCPA can be found online on the Government of Ontario's website. Throughout the period of the declared emergency, orders under the ROA remain in effect, along with orders under the EMCPA.

Federal

Latest COVID-19 Modelling Data:

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Tam, shared on Friday the latest modelling data on the pandemic. Here are the key takeaways:

• Sharp increase in daily COVID-19 case counts nationally, since late December: Current daily case counts continue to far exceed the peak of the first wave and early signs of levelling off for most of December have been replaced by a sharp rise in cases following the holidays. On average over 7,600 cases are being reported daily. Dr. Tam noted that “unless public health measures are further intensified, we will not be able to sufficiently suppress the current rate of epidemic growth.”
• High incidence, especially in Quebec and Ontario, continues to drive rapid growth: Many provinces, including those that have been on a downward trajectory like B.C, Alberta and Saskatchewan, saw a sharp rise in daily case numbers after the holidays.
• More health regions reporting higher rates of COVID-19 infection: since the last modelling update the number of health regions reporting > 100 cases per 100,000 population has increased from 49 to 59, as rapid growth continues to expand into more areas. Over the past two weeks, a number of large urban centres as well as some rural and remote communities are reporting infection rates above 100 cases per 100,000 populations
• Although the incidence of COVID-19 is highest and continuing to escalate among high-risk adults aged 80 years and older, it has been consistently high among all age groups for many weeks.
• Widespread community transmission and increased outbreaks in long-term care facilities ranging in size from a few cases to over 100. Dr. Tam noted this is a cycle of spread that can’t be managed through outbreak response alone. Bringing infection rates down to stop the spread into high-risk settings requires individual and public health authorities working together.
• Steady upward trend in hospitalizations in provinces with sustained high infection rates since late October. Over the past week, an average of over 4,700 people with COVID-19 were being treated in Canadian hospitals on any given day, including 875 of whom were in intensive care. On average, the length of stay for people hospitalized is about 16 days or 20 day for those experiencing more severe illness. Dr. Tam noted that increasing demands on the health care system is straining capacity and leaving the health workforce exhausted in many areas of the country.
• COVID-19 related deaths are steadily rising and may soon exceed levels seen during the first peak: Dr. Tam noted over the past week an average of 137 deaths have been reported daily. Those aged 80 years account for 71% of all deaths and those aged 60-79 accounting for 26%. A majority of deaths continue to be linked to outbreaks in LTC facilities. To date, 70 deaths have been reported in adults 20-39 years of age.

Other News

• The Guidance for Prioritizing Health Care Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination is now available on the ministry website.
• Webinar Alert: The National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health is hosting "Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic: A frame of reference from lessons learned through disasters in Canada"
  • Date: Jan 27, 2021 - 3pm EST

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

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.