Health

Sudbury steps up COVID-19 measures – The Sudbury Star

Published

5 years ago

March 12, 2020

All classes at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont. were suspended at noon on Wednesday March 11, 2020 because of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Sudbury area. All classes will now be moved to online delivery until further notice.

John Lappa / John Lappa/Sudbury Star

Sudbury made quite a splash recently at the annual conference of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. The conference drew a crowd of 25,000 from 130 countries and the northern soirees – one at the Royal York hotel and the other, at a brewery – were said to be the toast of the convention.

But on the heels of that conference, one Sudbury resident has been diagnosed with COVID-19, prompting several organizations and institutions to close, including Wahnapitae First Nation. The First Nation announced Wednesday it will close its band office, as well as Rocky’s Restaurant and Marina until March 23. Laurentian University has suspended all classes until further notice, opting for online delivery.

The city sent 10 people to PDAC, including Mayor Brian Bigger; Melissa Zanette, his chief of staff; as well as Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti and Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc. Kelly Brooks, a spokesperson for the city, said to date no one at city hall has presented with symptoms.

“Councillors Leduc, Signoretti and I are feeling well and presenting no symptoms at this time,” Zanette said Wednesday. “We have been following the precautions from public health, which include proper hand-washing and self-monitoring. The city continues to work closely with Public Health Sudbury and Districts and community partners to monitor the situation and respond appropriately.”

Mayor Bigger said Wednesday he will be deferring to the expertise of PHSD. He has been tested and urged all residents to stay home if they are feeling ill. Bigger said he would be working remotely as much as possible, but does not expect much disruption to his duties.

“Given the recent news regarding a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Sudbury originating from PDAC last week in Toronto, I have found it in the best interest of myself, my family and my co-workers, and on the advice of public health, to get tested for exposure to the virus. I will be following the instructions of our local public health experts on how and where to be tested and then following all of their guidance and direction on self-isolation or what to do next until my results are made available. As mayor of Greater Sudbury, I truly believe in leading by example,” Bigger said in a statement.

“I do ask that you all please listen to the experts in public health and visit their website if you need any information. They have a vast amount of resources online that will satisfy any of your questions. It is imperative that you get all of your facts from credible and reliable sources. Please contact PHSD or your health care provider if you are presenting symptoms. Please do not go to HSN for testing unless you are at risk of being exposed and have symptoms. Lastly, I do ask everyone to follow the simple rules of prevention — wash your hands, cough into your sleeve and if you are sick, stay home.”

Zanette said she and the councillors are following the advice of Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, the Sudbury and district medical officer of health.

“They have told us that anyone in the community who suspects they have symptoms of COVID-19 should call the PHSD to be assessed. Staff and councillors are encouraged to follow this guidance as well,” Zanette said. “Any staff that may experience symptoms is encouraged to follow the protocols and call PHSD to ensure they are getting the best medical advice. As usual, the City of Greater Sudbury advises staff to stay home if they are sick.”

The city has a series of emergency response plans for a variety of situations.

“As we monitor this evolving situation, we consider appropriate responses based on our preparations and the conditions at the time,” Brooks said. “This is a fluid situation, but that is why we maintain close contact with PHSD and maintain the most up-to-date information. We remain confident in our ability to provide service and ensure a safe environment for visitors and employees to our facilities.”

The city said Wednesday it continues “to follow the guidance of our local experts in public health. While the virus is not currently circulating locally, the situation is evolving and we are taking steps to help protect the health of our community.”

To that end, Brooks said the city has implemented measures to ensure facilities, including hockey rinks and recreation centres, and buses remain clean. All facilities currently remain open and programs are running on schedule.

“The city has been working with its facility cleaning contractors to review processes for cleaning high-touch areas in city facilities — for example, door handles, elevator buttons, service counters, railings, etc. — and has made changes to those processes to help reduce the risk of exposure,” she explained. “GOVA is performing significant additional cleaning and disinfection of all buses with a focus on touch and grab-points like buttons, railings, handles and straps. Residents are also reminded to do their part by following basic infection prevention measures, including washing their hands regularly with soap and water; using alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap is not available; and following good cough/sneeze etiquette.”

Pioneer Manor is open to visitors, but it is following respiratory protocols and asking screening questions of all visitors.

The provincial government announced Wednesday it has instructed “long-term care homes to begin active screening of staff, students, volunteers, visitors, residents moving into a long-term care home and residents returning to a long-term care home. These individuals will now be proactively checked for symptoms and asked about recent travel history and contacts.”

Because COVID-19 coincides with flu season, long-term care homes already have respiratory infection outbreak protocols in place.

“When long-term care homes submit samples for standard respiratory testing, they will now also be tested for COVID-19 automatically to ensure the province identifies potentially unknown cases,” Christine Elliott, deputy premier and minister of health; and Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, minister of long-term care, said. “Ontario continues to work directly with our partners at the Public Health Agency of Canada and local public health units to monitor the situation closely. Newly strengthened protocols for identification and control are in place to keep the public safe. These protocols and processes continue to be effective and the risk to Ontarians taking precautions to keep themselves and their families safe remains low.”

Health Sciences North said Wednesday symptoms of COVID-19 can range from mild to severe and include fever, cough and difficulty breathing (shortness of breath).

“If you suspect you have symptoms of COVID-19, call Telehealth Ontario or PHSD,” HSN said. “If you’re coming to the emergency department at HSN, please call ahead to 705-523-7100 and describe your symptoms and your travel history, including the countries you recently visited.”

Telehealth Ontario is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week at 1-866-797-0000 (TTY 1-866-797-0007).

For more information on COVID-19 and minimizing your risk, go to phsd.ca.

mkkeown@postmedia.com

Twitter: @marykkeown

705 674 5271 ext. 505235

. . . .

To protect yourself

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 15 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth

Avoid close contact with people who are ill

Stay home when you are ill

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then immediately throw the tissue in the garbage and wash your hands

If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your sleeve or arm

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces

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Health

Canada to donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to combat mpox outbreaks in Africa

Published

1 day ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Health

How many Nova Scotians are on the doctor wait-list? Number hit 160,000 in June

Published

3 days ago

September 11, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Health

Newfoundland and Labrador monitoring rise in whooping cough cases: medical officer

Published

4 days ago

September 10, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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