Public Health Sudbury & Districts will move into the yellow zone of the Ontario government’s new COVID-19 response framework on Monday.
The news came hot on the heels of the Sudbury health unit’s Friday announcement of eight new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of active cases in Public Health’s service area to 66.
Moving into the Yellow-Protect zone will mean changes for local businesses and organizations, additional enforcement enforcements and fines, and enhanced education in high-risk settings.
Bars, restaurants, and other food and drink establishments will have to limit operating hours, and sports and recreational facilities will begin operating at reduced capacity.
All changes will take effect on Monday at 12:01 a.m.
“Our number one priority right now is getting the numbers down and keeping people safe,“ Premier Doug Ford said in a release. ”That’s why, on the recommendation of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, we’re updating the framework with new thresholds so we can slow the spread of this virus.
“These adjustments are necessary to respond to the latest evidence we’re seeing, and we are prepared to make further adjustments as the health experts continue to review the current public health restrictions. We must do whatever it takes to stop our hospitals from being overwhelmed and protect our most vulnerable.”
The Ontario government announced it would lower the thresholds for each level on the Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework in response to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases throughout the province on Friday.
The latest modelling shows that if the number of new cases continues to grow at its current rate, the province could register up to 6,500 new cases per day by mid-December.
Within the next two weeks, the province will likely exceed its intensive care threshold of 150 beds, under any potential scenario, experts warn.
Public Health Sudbury & Districts will join Huron Perth Public Health, the Middlesex-London Health Unit, Southwestern Public Health, and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit in the Yellow-Protect zone.
Under the new guidelines, all food and drink establishments must close at midnight. Liquor can only be sold or served from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
A limit of six people seated together will come into effect and establishments must collect contact information for all seated patrons.
Sports and recreational fitness facilities will have the following capacity limits: 10 people indoors, 25 people outdoors, and 50 people indoors in an area with weights or exercise equipment.
Patrons must maintain a distance of three metres apart, and facilities must collect contact information for all patrons and attendance for team sports. Reservations will be required for entry.
“Our case counts are at al all-time high with 40 of our 204 total cases reported in the last week alone. We are averaging about 12 high-risk contacts for each case so far. These numbers combined with how stretches our public health and health care systems are mean that stronger protection measures are needed,” said Sudbury’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Penny Sutcliffe.
“The Yellow-Protect restrictions must be accompanied by a recommitment of everyone to the basic public health prevention measures. How this surge in cases evolves and the measures and restrictions that will be necessary to control it are in our hands.
“Make no mistake, our everyday actions either allow the virus to spread or allow us to contain it. We can choose wisely and dig deep.”
Of Public Health’s newly reported cases, five of them are outbreak-related and three of them are under investigation. The individuals are self-isolating and following directions from Public Health.
The health unit has reported 204 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
There are currently eight patients admitted to Health Sciences North who have been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting their results. There are currently no admitted patients who have tested positive for the virus.
As the number of positive cases of the virus continue to climb in the Sudbury region, more businesses are reporting confirmed cases in their employees.
The Real Canadian Superstore located at 1485 Lasalle Blvd. recently confirmed that “three team members tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19.”
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The grocery store’s parent company Loblaw Companies Limited posted on its website that the employees were tested on Nov. 7, and the last time they worked was on Nov. 2 and 3.
“For transparency, we regularly update the sections below with all positive COVID-19 cases in our stores, by province, in the last 15 days,” said Loblaw on their website.
“Given the important role we play in our communities, we are prepared for all possible situations, including a positive test for COVID-19 in our stores. In these cases, we work closely with Public Health and follow their guidance to ensure proper notification of close contacts and required cleaning and sanitization in our stores.”
Walmart in Sudbury is reporting eight cases at its two locations, according to reports.
The Rainbow District School Board also confirmed on Friday that a positive case of COVID-19 had been reported at Northeastern Elementary School in Garson.
Through contact tracing, Public Health will notify all close contacts of local cases directly. If you are not contacted by Public Health, you are not considered a close contact.
A close contact of a confirmed cases is someone who has been within six feet or two metres of an infected person for longer than 15 minutes.
As of October 3, the Province of Ontario paused social circles and is advising that all Ontarians allow close contact only with people living in their own household and maintain two metres physical distancing from everyone else. Individuals who live alone may consider having close contact with another household.
Although it is still permissible for 10 people to gather indoors and 25 people to gather outdoors under Yellow-Protect zone restrictions, in-person gatherings of any size should be limited and should always include distance and masking when distancing is not possible.
Limiting our contacts and in-person interactions as much as possible is critical in reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Unless people are from the same household, keep 2 metres or 6 feet apart and wear a face covering if distancing is not possible. Face coverings must be worn in all indoor public spaces and workplaces, and they must also be worn in other indoor spaces where distancing is not possible.
It’s also important to remember to stay home if you are ill. A mild illness could be COVID-19 and may be much more severe for someone else who might catch it.
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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