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COVID cases have peaked in Grey-Bruce: Arra – The Post – Ontario

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3 years ago

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Dr. Ian Arra, Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health Photo by James Masters /James Masters Photography

COVID cases have peaked in Grey-Bruce, the local medical officer of health said Sunday.

Dr. Ian Arra made the observation when asked about the number of healthcare workers infected with COVID-19, which reached 401 Sunday and has soared from 128 on Jan. 1.

“It reflects the significant increases in cases in the community,” Arra said. He suspects the majority were infected in the community, not in their workplaces, he said.

But the number of healthcare workers infected isn’t one of the “robust” measures the health unit looks at.

Indicators he watches during the current Omicron wave of the virus include outbreaks in long-term care and retirement homes, hospital and ICU admissions and the complexity of the outbreaks or how many people are involved in them.

All indicators have increased in-step together, but these key indicators show Grey-Bruce is “on the descending end” of the bell-shaped local epidemiological curve, so things are improving, he said. “We have peaked in the past, in the recent past.”

With 13 new cases reported in Grey-Bruce on Monday, there are 179 cases that are considered active, but with limited testing eligibility, case counts are no longer given much weight.

Reported lab-confirmed daily new case counts can still indicate patterns over periods of time, even though they’re no longer representative of the amount of infection in the community, because test eligibility has been limited to people in high-risk settings, Arra said.

A total of 5,505 cases have been confirmed in Grey-Bruce since the start of the pandemic, of which 5,287 are considered resolved.

There remain 14 local people hospitalized due to COVID-19. Eleven people are in a local hospital and three are hospitalized outside Grey-Bruce.

Total deaths in Grey-Bruce attributed to COVID remained at 34 during the weekend. Six people died last week.

A total of 344,242 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Grey-Bruce, including 3,650 in the past week.

There are still a number of local long-term care and retirement homes with COVID-19 outbreaks: Rockwood Terrace in Durham, Parkview Manor in Chesley, Maple Court Retirement Home in Walkerton, Errinrung Retirement Home in Thornbury, Summit Place in Owen Sound, Seasons in Owen Sound, Lee Manor in Owen Sound and Kelso Pines Retirement Home in Owen Sound.

A COVID outbreak at Wiarton hospital was declared over Saturday.

Ontario added another 32 deaths on Monday, bringing the total since the pandemic’s start to 11,444. There were 2,983 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Monday, including 583 in intensive care units, both decreases from Sunday.

* * *

Vaccination clinics targeting areas of lower-vaccination will be run this week, in conjunction with municipalities and the schools.

“The Ministry of Education directed all health units to open clinics in schools, where ever (they) are needed. So we are customizing the rollout to meet the need in Grey-Bruce,” Arra said.

This week, the Grey Bruce Health Unit will hold vaccine clinics at the following locations and times:

Tuesday, Feb. 1

-Durham Community Centre, 451 Sadler St. W., Durham, ON, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 2

-Ripley-Huron Community Centre, 17 Queen St., Ripley 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 3

-Keady Community Centre, 116931 Grey Rd. 3, Keady 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Walkerton Community Centre, 290 Durham St. W., Walkerton 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 5

-A clinic for children 5-11 years old only will be held at East Ridge Community School, 1550 8th St. E., Owen Sound 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 6

-A clinic for children 5-11 years old only will be held at East Ridge Community School, 1550 8th St. E., Owen Sound 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

* * *

As of Jan. 31, all indoor dining and gyms will reopen and gathering limits will increase under the province’s reopening plan.

Temporary measures to limit the transmission of Omicron and preserve healthcare capacity can start to be relaxed because public health and health system indicators have improved, provincial authorities say.

Restaurants may again offer indoor dining, and gyms, stores and shopping malls and movie cinemas may reopen at 50 per cent capacity. Social gathering limits will increase to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors.

Organized public events may have 25 people indoors.

Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, casinos and bingo halls may also reopen. Sporting events, concerts and theatres may allow 50 per cent seating or 500 people, whichever is less.

Proof of vaccination requirements will continue to be required in existing settings.

For a full array of reopening changes, see https://covid-19.ontario.ca/public-health-measures#returning-to-our-plan-to-safely-reopen-ontario .

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

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September 11, 2024

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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

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2 days ago

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September 10, 2024

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Bizarre Sunlight Loophole Melts Belly Fat Fast!

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September 10, 2024

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