Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners January 25, 2022 | 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. | Publicly funded PCR testing is now limited to symptomatic high-risk individuals, and individuals who work in high-risk settings. This change came into effect on Dec. 31, 2021 and as a result, positive cases confirmed by PCR testing will underestimate the true number of individuals with COVID-19 in the community. - As of January 24, 2022 Hastings and Prince Edward Counties have 656 active high-risk cases and HPEPH is reporting a total of 31 deaths in the region. There were 103 new high-risk cases reported yesterday.
- There are 21 local high-risk settings experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak; additional outbreak details can be found online.
- More information is available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca
- Vaccinations among residents 5 and older:
- First Dose: 144,975 (88%)
- Second Dose: 132,004 (80%)
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Ontario is reporting 3,424 new cases today. 4,008 individuals are hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Ontario with 626 individuals in the ICU due to COVID-19 related illness. -
In Canada, as of January 25, 2022, there are 2,947,179 total cases of COVID-19 with 270,032 active cases and 2,644,361 resolved. To date, there have been 32,786 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 55,992,406 individuals tested. | Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to January 24, 2022 | Report | Number | Percentage | | Number of Cases | 1,004,879 | N/A | | Change from previous report (new cases) | 3,424 | 0.3% increase | | Resolved | 932,245 | 92.8 | | Change from previous report | 7,298 | 0.8% increase | | Total number of deaths | 11,068 | 1.1 | | Total tests completed | 22,439,844 | N/A | | Total test completed in the previous day | 20,081 | N/A | | Currently under investigation | 16,482 | N/A | | Upcoming Vaccination Clinics Appointments can be booked through the provincial booking site, or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900 from 8 am to 8 pm, 7 days a week. Calling the clinic location directly will not result in an appointment. Walk-ins are also available at most locations. View the clinic details below for walk-in eligibility and schedules. Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre – 265 Cannifton Rd, Belleville Clinics accept walk-ins for all eligible individuals aged 5 and over. Please note, clinics will be closed from 12 to 1pm unless otherwise indicated. - Wednesday Jan 26 from 9:30 am to 3 pm
- Thursday Jan 27 from 2 pm to 6:30 pm (closed 4:30-5 pm)
- Friday Jan 28 from 9:30 am to 3 pm
- Saturday Jan 29 from 9:30 am to 3 pm
Batawa Community Centre – 81 Plant St, Batawa Clinics accept walk-ins for all eligible individuals aged 5 and over. Please note, clinics will be closed from 12 to 1pm unless otherwise indicated. - Thursday Jan 27 from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Prince Edward Community Centre – 375 Main St, Picton Clinics accept walk-ins for all eligible individuals aged 12 and over. Children aged 5-11 must book an appointment. The list below does not represent clinics available for children aged 5-11. Visit the provincial booking site or call 1-833-943-3900 for clinic dates and times. - Thursday Jan 27 from 10 am to 3:30 pm (closed 1-1:30 pm)
Bancroft Clinics Eligible individuals may contact the Bancroft Community Family Health Team to book an appointment for COVID-19 vaccination clinics. For more information visit: www.bcfht.org or call the BCFHT at 613-322-1565. Please note, new clinic dates and times are updated regularly. Please view the HPEPH Booking and Eligibility Page for the latest information. | Ontario Outlines Steps to Cautiously and Gradually Ease Public Health Measures - Effective January 31, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. Ontario will begin the process of gradually easing restrictions, while maintaining protective measures, including but not limited to:
Applications Now Open for Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program - Eligible businesses required to close or reduce capacity due to the current public health measures put in place to blunt the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 can apply for the new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program starting today. Through the new program, the government will provide eligible businesses with a rebate payment of up to 100 per cent for property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to these restrictions.
Ontario Cuts Electricity Rates to Help Workers, Families and Small Businesses - The Ontario government is providing 21 days of electricity-rate relief to support families and workers spending more time at home, as well as small businesses, consistent with the length of time the province is in modified Step Two public health measures. As of 12:01 AM January 18 electricity prices are lowered to the off-peak rate of 8.2 cents per kilowatt-hour -- less than half the on-peak rate -- 24 hours per day.
Premier Ford Appoints Minister of Long-Term Care - January 14, Premier Doug Ford announced the appointment of Paul Calandra as Ontario’s next Minister of Long-Term Care. Minister Calandra will maintain his existing responsibilities as Minister of Legislative Affairs and Government House Leader.
Ontario Invests in COVID-19 Test Kits Made in Thorold - The Ontario government is supporting a more than $13 million investment by Norgen Biotek to scale up production of its COVID-19 saliva-based test kit, with $1 million in support through the Ontario Together Fund.
Ontario Launching School-based Vaccine Clinics as Students Return to In-person Learning - With elementary and high school students returning to in-person learning on January 17, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, was joined by Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health to announce the launch of school-based vaccine clinics for youth and staff, along with a significant deployment of rapid antigen tests. These new measures build on the province providing millions of high-quality masks for staff and students and thousands more HEPA filtration units.
Ontario Continues to Add Hospital Beds and Build Up Health Workforce - The Ontario government is continuing to accelerate its efforts to add hospital beds and build up the province’s health care workforce to ensure patients can continue to access the health care they need when they need it.
| Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on January 21, 2022 - During the latest 7 day period (Jan 14-20, 2022), an average of 25,821 new cases were reported daily across Canada. While this is a 28% decrease compared to the week prior, infection rates remain elevated and are increasing in some jurisdictions. Laboratories across Canada continue to test at a very high level. During the latest 7-day period (Jan 9-15, 2022), laboratory test positivity was 23%, indicating continued widespread community transmission.
- Although evidence from ongoing surveillance and recent studies indicates that the risk of hospitalisation is lower for Omicron compared to Delta, the enormous volume of cases is placing a heavy strain on the healthcare system, both because of increased hospital admissions as well as high numbers of illness and need for isolation among health care workers.
- The latest provincial and territorial data show that an average of 10,041 people with COVID-19 were being treated in hospitals each day during the most recent 7-day period (Jan 14-20, 2022), which is 38% higher than last week and exceeds all previous peaks. This includes, on average, 1,143 people who were being treated in intensive care units (ICU) daily, which is 24% higher than last week and an average of 146 deaths were reported daily (Jan 14-20, 2022).
Health Canada authorizes PAXLOVIDTM for patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 at high risk of developing serious disease - Health Canada has authorized the combination of two antiviral drugs, nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (brand name PAXLOVIDTM), to treat adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to serious disease, including hospitalization or death. PAXLOVIDTM is the first COVID-19 therapy that can be taken at home.
Government of Canada receives first delivery of COVID-19 oral antiviral treatment - The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the health and safety of everyone in Canada from COVID 19. This includes securing safe and effective treatments as they become available.
Government of Canada makes significant investment in research to transform public health for Canadians - On January 19 the Minister of Health, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, announced funding of $10 million from the Government of Canada to increase public health research capacity in Canada. This investment includes $8 million for seven new applied public health chairs who will carry out research programs in areas such as infectious diseases, urban and environmental health, and disease prevention. It also includes $2 million for a research funding opportunity that will support projects linked to priorities outlined in the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada’s annual report for 2021.
Indigenous Services Canada flowing $125M in COVID-19 public health funding directly to First Nations Communities - This funding can be used by First Nations to support community surge capacity in response to COVID-19. This may include, but is not limited to, continued administration of COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, implementation of rapid testing, surge infrastructure, surge staff and resources, food security to support self-isolation and supports to update, review and activate pandemic response plans.
Government of Canada invests in community-based projects to support COVID-19 vaccine uptake - On January 21, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, announced an additional $14 million investment in the Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF), for projects that address misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccines used to protect against it. This brings the Government of Canada's total investment in the IPF to $78 million since 2020, of which $45.5 million is dedicated to supporting national, regional and local initiatives.
Government extends loan forgiveness repayment deadline for the Canada Emergency Business Account - The Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program has provided interest-free, partially forgivable loans to nearly 900,000 small businesses and not-for-profit organizations to help them navigate the pandemic and remain resilient.
Indigenous Services Canada COVID-19 update - Week of January 20, 2022 - As of January 19, 2022, over 85 per cent of individuals aged 12+ and over in First Nation, Inuit and territorial communities have received a second dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine. With the recent approval of pediatric vaccines, over 40 per cent of individuals aged 5-11 have received at lease one dose.
Government of Canada creates Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies - Canada’s health research community responded quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic from the time the first cases were identified in late 2019. Over the past two years, researchers across the country have rallied together to create new scientific knowledge and provide critical evidence to guide Canada’s response to the pandemic and keep Canadians safe. As the pandemic evolves, they continue to work on issues facing Canadians and their work is and will continue to help with our recovery from this pandemic. The Government of Canada has supported the research response to the pandemic with investments of nearly $280 million through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Government of Canada improves digital access to mental health and substance use resources during the COVID-19 pandemic - January 14, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced the launch of PocketWell, a free companion app to the WTC online portal. This new app provides another way to help Canadians access online mental health and substance use resources and supports, and measure and track aspects of their mental well-being.
COVID-19 Subsidies – Explanatory Notes Relating to the Income Tax Act and Income Tax Regulations - COVID-19 Subsidies – Explanatory Notes Relating to the Income Tax Act and Income Tax Regulations
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