For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

May 12, 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 42 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 182 probable cases, with 25 lab-confirmed cases having recovered and 5 deceased.
    • Approximately 4,457 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, with a 1% positivity rate.
    • Facilities experiencing COVID-19 outbreak can be found online.
    • More details are available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca.
  • In Canada, there are 70,342 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 resulting in 5,049 deaths. To date, over 1,145,759 individuals have been tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to May 11, 2020

  Number     Percentage
Number of cases 20,907 N/A
Change from previous report 361 1.8% increase
Resolved 15,391 73.6
Deceased 1,725 8.3
Demographics    
Male 8,776 42.0
Female 11,971 57.3
19 and under 552 2.6
20-39 4,952 23.7
40-59 6,392 30.6
60-79 4,489 21.5
80 and over 4,508 21.6
Testing    
Total tests completed 459,921 N/A
Total tests completed in the previous day 11,957 N/A
Currently under investigation 10,811 N/A
Hospitalizations    
Number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 1,025 N/A
Number of patients in ICU with COVID-19 192 N/A
Number of patients in ICU on a ventilator with COVID-19      146

N/A

Note: 160 cases did not specify male or female. 14 cases had an unknown age.

  • There are 20,907 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario reported to date. This represents an increase of 361 confirmed cases from the previous report.
    • 42.0% of cases are male, 57.3% are female.
    • 43.1% of cases are 60 years of age and older.
    • Greater Toronto Area public health units account for 62.1% of cases.
    • 12.7% of cases were hospitalized.
  • 1,725 deaths have been reported (please note there may be a reporting delay for deaths). This is an increase of 56 deaths from the previous report.
  • 249 outbreaks have been reported in long-term care homes. This is an increase of 4 outbreaks from the previous report. 

Federal

Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) Program

  • To support large Canadian businesses from all sectors and to help them keep employees on the payroll, the government is offering loans and financing. In unveiling this new program, the Prime Minister emphasized, "we will not allow millions of people to lose their livelihoods because of unprecedented events that were beyond their control."
  • The details for this new program are still being worked out. In addition, the federal government will expand the Business Credit Availability Program to mid-sized companies with larger financing needs (e.g. loans of up to $60 million per company, and guarantees of up to $80 million)
  • The LEEFF program will:
    • Provide support to employers with annual revenues of more than $300 million whose credit needs aren't being met through conventional financing.
    • Have strict limits on dividends, share buybacks and executive compensation.
    • Require companies applying for the loans to disclose their environmental plans, respect collective bargaining agreements and protect workers' pensions.
    • Require companies to share their complete financial structure.
    • Serve as a "bridge loan" rather than a "bailout".

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Adherence to Public Health Measures

  • In response to a question about the faulty PPE that arrived from China a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister indicated that Canada will not pay for these sub-standard supplies and the federal government is discussing alternative uses for them.
  • Prime Minister Trudeau again urged Canadians to be cautious and continue to follow public health guidelines. "Please let caution and medical advice be your guides...we are all anxious to see life go back to something that looks more like normal. But we're not out of the woods yet and we cannot squander the sacrifices we've made over the past two months."

Additional Support for Canadian Seniors

  • The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced a series of additional measures to help Canadian seniors and provide them with greater financial security in this time of crisis. These measures include:
    • Providing additional financial support of $2.5 billion for a one-time tax-free payment of $300 for seniors eligible for the Old Age Security (OAS) pension, with an additional $200 for seniors eligible for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). This measure would give a total of $500 to individuals who are eligible to receive both the OAS and the GIS, and will help them cover increased costs caused by COVID-19.
    • Expanding the New Horizons for Seniors Program with an additional investment of $20 million to support organizations that offer community-based projects that reduce isolation, improve the quality of life of seniors, and help them maintain a social support network.
    • Temporarily extending GIS and Allowance payments if seniors’ 2019 income information has not been assessed. This will ensure that the most vulnerable seniors continue to receive their benefits when they need them the most. To avoid an interruption in benefits, seniors are encouraged to submit their 2019 income information as soon as possible and no later than by October 1, 2020.

Provincial

State of Emergency Extension Expected

  • Premier Doug Ford indicated that he will ask the Ontario Legislature to extend the provincial state of emergency until June 2 when it resumes this afternoon for its fourth emergency session.
  • The Premier received some criticism when he said that he had two members of his family who do not live with him visiting on Sunday. When asked for his reaction, Dr. Williams emphasised the importance of everyone doing their part to maintain physical distancing and noted that when "the community transmission is down enough, we can look at it [gathering with others from outside the home]."

Ontario Retail Stores Open for Curbside Pickup and Delivery

  • Yesterday, the Ontario government allowed retail stores with a street entrance to offer curbside pickup and delivery.
  • The Ministry of Health has also released a Guidance Document for Essential Workplaces. Business owners should use these guidelines to develop reopening plans that work for their business and protect workers, customers and the general public as the province prepares for the gradual reopening of the economy.
  • In addition, provincial parks and conservation reserves will began opening yesterday, with limited access. To start, recreational activities will be restricted to walking, hiking, biking and birdwatching. People will be able to access all parks and conservation reserves for free until the end of the month.

Local
  • Hastings County has created a resource to help direct residents of North Hastings to the appropriate services for information and support with questions about COVID-19 symptoms, mental health, food security, income support, violence protection and more.

  • North Hastings Children Services has launched a survey to support residents during this time. They are inviting families to complete this survey and receive a care package relevant to their needs. The survey will be available for as long as supplies last.

  • Prince Edward County issued a reminder that Sandbanks Provincial Park is opening on Friday, May 15 for limited recreational day-use activities ONLY. Camping and other activities are not permitted. All buildings and facilities including beaches, washrooms, water taps, campgrounds, roofed accommodations, and playgrounds, continue to be closed.

  • Belleville Fire and Emergency Services remind residents during this upcoming Victoria Day long weekend to enjoy fireworks displays responsibly and to remember physical distancing rules. At the May 11 City Council meeting, Council members agreed that Belleville residents would be permitted to purchase and enjoy fireworks for their personal enjoyment over the upcoming May long weekend but must abide by the City of Belleville fireworks bylaw. Belleville Fire would like to remind all residents they must continue to be responsible and follow the COVID-19 restrictions by maintaining physical distancing and adhering to limited social gatherings.

  • Shorelines Casino Belleville released a statement reaffirming their commitment to following the direction of government and public health authorities and that, while very encouraged to see the provincial government releasing their plans for the staged reopening of businesses in the province, reopening of the Casino will only happen once it is appropriate to do so, by continuing to ensure the health and safety of staff and guests.

Public Health
  • Today, the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, HPEPH celebrates National Nursing Week and offers a big thank you to all nurses helping support our community through the COVID-19 pandemic.

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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