A surge of COVID-19 cases in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) region over the last week is concerning, showing that we are deep into the fourth wave of the pandemic. This was expected, said Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health at KFL&A Public Health, in his COVID-19 update to the press on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. This emphasizes the need for people to continue getting tested if they have symptoms, and to stick to the basics like staying home if feeling unwell.
Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health for KFL&A Public Health, addresses the media during a COVID-19 community update on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021.
“Currently, we have 126 active cases and close to 500 active contacts that we are following. Our rate per 100,000 population in seven days is now 48.8,” said Oglaza, the significance of that number, he explained, “is that this is among the highest illness rates we have ever seen in KFL&A and we haven’t seen this magnitude of cases per 100,000 since back in the third wave in the spring of this year.“
“Our current percent positivity in the last seven days is 2.1 per cent. So, that is also one of the highest percent positivity rates for testing that we’ve seen in this region.”
“At this point, we are testing about 1.6 per cent of the population a week. That’s the metric we use to determine how many people are seeking testing in this area,” he said, explaining that this is a lower testing rate than we had during the second and third wave. “And the importance of this is we want to remind people residing in KFL&A to please get tested and isolate if they have symptoms, that’s going to help us get a handle on this on this surge.”
He also emphasized the importance of the high vaccination rate in KFL&A, which is at 89.8 per cent for the first dose and 86.4 per cent fully vaccinated. “This has made a significant impact to the fourth wave because of the efforts of everyone in this community,” he said.
Currently, he said, “when we look at our rate of cases in the unvaccinated population versus vaccinated populations, it’s about six times greater in the unvaccinated. So, that is one indicator that confirms what we’ve been communicating all along: that vaccines do work and provide significant relief.”
“Unfortunately, we are dealing with a surge and the fourth wave was predicted in the past looking at the modelling. We know that the magnitude of that fourth wave is, fortunately, less than the worst-case scenarios that were contemplated in the past,” he said.
“But we still need to be vigilant,” he reiterated. “We’ve been there before. We’ve experienced surges as a community during the first, second and third waves.”
Oglaza reminded the population not to be complacent despite COVID fatigue, and to get back to the basics.
“And by basics, I mean staying home when sick, testing, wearing a mask, washing your hands, and, of course, get vaccinated. These are very simple interventions. These are the basics and they do remain relevant when we are going through the fourth wave.”
“The first one that we were aware of was the Integrated Care Hub, but outer clusters were happening simultaneously. So, this is an indication of that spread in the vulnerable population,” he said, explaining, “We are we’re working with our community partners on addressing a number of clusters in the community impacting vulnerable populations; many of the individuals are not vaccinated [or not] fully vaccinated, many of them are in vulnerable conditions either from the perspective of their own health or their life circumstances.
“And so,” he continued, “that’s something that’s really the focus of our partnership with a number of community partners, with service agencies, and with the municipality, the City of Kingston.”
Enforcement for non-compliance
Regarding businesses in the region like JAKK Tuesday’s and The Spot nightclub that remain open despite the documented violations of the Reopening Ontario Act, Oglaza addressed the former and said, “As you remember, a section 22 order has been issued on November 3, our Public Health inspector confirmed continued non-compliance with the requirements of the order. And there were a number of visits to this particular location on November 5, 8 and 9 and we continue to work with our partners and we’ll keep you informed on the situation. That enforcement process is in the works and we’ll update you as soon as I have more information to share.”
Unmasked people flood the dance floor violating COVID-19 protocols, September 30, 2021. A photo still from a submitted video.
Will more restrictions be imposed?
Questioned about restrictions being imposed by other municipalities, Oglaza said it is possible it could happen here, but that he would have to see a number of factors before implementing any interventions.
“The response of local Public Health is based on local epidemiological situation and the evidence behind the spread: if we continue to see cases appearing and clusters that are conducive to targeted interventions, there’ll be no need for implementing broad community-wide restrictions,” he explained.
“If the situation changes, that will be assessed on the basis of what you’re seeing in the community. And at this point, I don’t have any evidence that the spread that we’re observing in the KFL&A region would be contained better with these broad interventions. So, that’s something we’ll be monitoring very closely; if and when a situation arises that the spread requires additional interventions, we will consider them and implement if needed to protect the health of KFL&A residents.”
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
