The Medical Officer of Health for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) is urging residents to protect themselves and their families against respiratory illnesses over the holiday season.
The major respiratory illnesses are COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
On December 13, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said there was a peak in COVID-19 activity across the EOHU’s territory (Prescott-Russell, Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry, Cornwall, Akwesasne) in November. The EOHU is urging everyone eligible for their next dose of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines to receive them as soon as possible.
“It’s not too late, please get your COVID shots,” Roumeliotis said.
Staying up to date with your vaccines
The flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine are available to people 6 months of age and older, and it’s safe to get both at the same time. Ensuring you and your loved ones are up to date on these vaccines will help prevent infections and hospitalizations from these illnesses. The updated COVID-19 vaccines provide protection against the XBB.1.5. Omicron subvariant and other related subvariants that are currently circulating in the community. Both the COVID-19 and flu vaccines are available through participating pharmacies and healthcare providers. Appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine can also be booked at the EOHU’s offices at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900. Flu vaccine appointments for children under 5 years old and their household members can also be booked at the EOHU’s offices at https://booking.eohu.ca/.
As of December 14, about 50 per cent of the EOHU population aged 75 and older had received a fourth COVID-19 vaccination. Only about five per cent of adults aged 35 to 44 had received a fourth vaccination. In comparison, more than 90 per cent of adults aged 35 to 44 received a first vaccination during the worst of the pandemic, and 100 per cent of adults aged 75 and older had received a first vaccination.
Roumeliotis said older people, and vulnerable people with certain health conditions continue to be those most seriously affected by COVID-19.
As of December 14, there were 17 hospitalizations and two intensive care unit admissions for COVID-19 involving residents of the EOHU territory. There were five institutional outbreaks of COVID-19 in effect. Four of these were in Prescott-Russell at facilities in Alfred, Casselman, Clarence Creek, Embrun, and Hawkesbury.
The EOHU has indicated the risk of COVID-19 is high and increasing. The risk of influenza is high but stabilized. The risk of other respiratory illnesses is moderate, but cases are decreasing.
On December 13, Roumeliotis said these trends so far indicate trends that are typical for influenza and RSV at this time of year.
“We are heading into a typical respiratory virus season, but with COVID in the background,” was how he described it.
Other tips to decrease your chances of getting sick and spreading illness
In addition to staying up to date on your vaccines, there are other measures you can take to prevent the spread of germs, such as:
Covering your mouth with your sleeve or elbow when you cough or sneeze
Washing your hands frequently with soap and water, or using hand sanitizer
Not touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
Disinfecting commonly touched areas, like door handles and counters
Maintaining and optimizing indoor air quality, such as with an air purifier
If you are at a high-risk of severe illness, wearing a mask when out in crowded indoor settings
Staying home if you are sick, until you no longer have a fever and your other symptoms have been improving for 24 hours for respiratory symptoms (48 hours if gastro-intestinal symptoms) and wearing a mask for ten days after the onset of respiratory symptoms, if you must go out
For those who are at a high risk of severe illness from respiratory illnesses, anti-viral medications are also available for COVID-19 and the flu, should you become ill. Speak with your health care provider to learn more and to find out if you are eligible.
Roumeliotis said that with hospital resources already depleted across the EOHU’s territory, taking precautions against respiratory illnesses will prevent further burdens on hospitals and staff.
For more information about respiratory illnesses, visit EOHU.ca/Respiratory.
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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.
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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