For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

May 22, 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 31 lab-confirmed cases having recovered and 5 deceased.
    • Approximately 6,689 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, with a 0.7% positivity rate.
    • Facilities experiencing COVID-19 outbreak can be found online.
    • More details are available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca.
  • In Canada, there are 81, 313 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 resulting in 6,152 deaths. To date, over 1,379,731 individuals have been tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to May 21, 2020

  Number  Percentage
Number of cases 24,628 N/A
Change from previous report (new cases) 441 1.8 increase
Resolved 18,767 76.2
Subset of all cases that are reported to be long-term care residents 4,711 19.1
Subset of all cases that are reported as a health care worker associated with long-term care outbreaks 1,623 6.6
Total number of deaths 2,021 8.2
Deaths reported for residents in long-term care homes 1,262 62.4
Deaths reported for health care workers in long-term care homes 4 0.2
Demographics    
Male 10,506 42.7
Female 13,935 56.6
19 and under 742 3.0
20-39 6,099 24.8
40-59 7,496 30.4
60-79 5,143 20.9
80 and over 5,132 20.8
Testing    
Total tests completed 588,958 N/A
Total tests completed in the previous day 11,276 N/A
Currently under investigation 5,516 N/A
Hospitalizations    
Number of patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 961 N/A
Number of patients currently in ICU with COVID-19 153 N/A
Number of patients currently in ICU on a ventilator with COVID-19 120 N/A

 

Note: 187 cases did not specify male or female. 16 cases had an unknown age.

  • There are 24,628 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario reported to date. This represents an increase of 441 confirmed cases from the previous report.
    • 42.7% of cases are male, 56.6% are female.
    • 41.7% of cases are 60 years of age and older.
    • Greater Toronto Area public health units account for 63.9% of cases.
    • 12.8% of cases were hospitalized.
  • 2,021 deaths have been reported (please note there may be a reporting delay for deaths). This is an increase of 28 deaths from the previous report.
  • 287 outbreaks have been reported in long-term care homes. This is an increase of 0 outbreaks from the previous report.

Federal

Additional Funding for Indigenous People

  • Today, Prime Minister Trudeau announced $75 million (on top of the $15 million announced back in March) to support organizations that address the critical needs of Indigenous people living in urban centres and off-reserve.
  • Through community-based projects, this fund will help provide food security, mental health support, sanitation, protective equipment, support for elders, transportation, and educational materials for students.
  • Funding for projects will start rolling out in the coming weeks.

Testing

  • Prime Minister Trudeau indicated that he will be discussing a testing strategy during his weekly call with provincial and territorial counterparts this evening.
  • Federal leaders recognize the need to avoid the number of cases increasing and have indicated their interest in working with the provinces and territories on a national testing and tracing strategy to increase capacity and testing rates.

Provincial

Ontario's COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund

  • In yesterday's announcement of the first phase of research projects funded under the government's $20 million Ontario COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund, Premier Ford emphasized that "I want that vaccine to be discovered right here in Ontario."
  • Fifteen research projects to prevent, detect and treat COVID-19 were selected through a three week fast-track peer reviewed decision making process that normally takes 12-18 months.
  • The projects range from research on vaccine development, diagnostics, drug trials and development to social sciences.
  • Ontario is leading the country with 22 clinical trials investigating COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.
  • With 11 of these trials approved, Ontario has the largest share in the country of the total 25 clinical trials approved by Health Canada.

Testing

  • When asked by the media about testing, the Premier said that he wants the province to conduct asymptomatic testing and to see testing done among truckers, taxi drivers, automotive and food processing workers, along with secondary testing of frontline workers. He indicated that more people need to come out to assessment centres, including people without symptoms and suggested perhaps testing should be done by postal code or through mobile vans.
  • While the Premier shared his frustration about the drop in numbers, he indicated that he has confidence in Ontario Health and public health.
  • Premier Ford said that the province will soon unveil a plan for random testing of the general population.
  • Ontario's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Williams noted, that "perhaps our messaging and communication [about testing] isn't as clear as it could be" and more could be done to encourage people to get tested.

Local
  • The City of Quinte West encourages everyone to get out and enjoy National Bike Month. Despite the many changes over the last few weeks due to COVID-19, residents are allowed to go outside and ride, maintaining a minimum distance of 2 metres. All group and club rides are frowned upon during this time. With travel not recommended, ride some of the many local trails.
  • The Prince Edward County Council will meet virtually on Tuesday, May 26 at 7 pm. Public comments are welcome during the meeting. Contact clerks@pecounty.on.ca by noon on Monday, May 25 to register.
  • The approval of the City of Belleville 2020 Operating Budget and related final 2020 tax billing has been delayed due to restrictions resulting from COVID-19. The City wishes to inform residents that their current monthly preauthorized property tax payment plan deductions will continue until the final 2020 tax billing has been completed. The new deduction amounts will be provided to residents on their final City of Belleville property tax bills.
  • The North Hastings Community Integration Association issued a newsletter with many local and COVID-19 related updates. Review their post on the Town of Bancroft's Facebook page for more information.
  • The Municipality of Centre Hastings issued a release today regarding the reopening of some public facilities and necessary precautions to be taken by those who wish to enjoy them. Also included is information regarding property tax and utility billing extensions.

Public Health
  • HPEPH reminds everyone of importance of physical activity. Regular physical activity is vital for maintaining physical and mental health, and especially during the pandemic. Physical activity can help you to better handle stress and to sleep more soundly.
  • Although gyms and recreation centres are closed at this time, there are lots of online opportunities to keep strong and active. Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, the YMCA, and Prince Edward Fitness and Aquatic Centre are some organizations offering online classes. Nationally, ParticipACTION and the National Ballet of Canada also have classes and resources to help Canadians have fun staying active.

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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