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What we know about Ottawa's recent coronavirus outbreaks – CTV Edmonton

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OTTAWA —
On Thursday, the Ontario government released data showing the percentage of COVID-19 outbreaks by location in Ottawa since August, following numerous requests for the data that led to the modified Stage 2 restrictions put in place on Oct. 10.

In Ottawa, long-term care homes, schools and daycares are responsible for the majority of COVID-19 outbreaks in Ottawa.

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The data show schools and daycares account for 39 per cent of COVID-19 outbreaks in Ottawa since August 1, while long-term care homes are responsible for 33 per cent of the COVID-19 outbreaks. Restaurants and bars accounted for just two per cent of confirmed outbreaks in that time.

However, Ottawa’s medical officer of health has said that outbreaks are only one part of the picture.

Dr. Vera Etches noted that eight per cent of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have said they had been to a bar or restaurant in the 14 days before their positive test result, meaning they may have contracted or possibly spread the virus at those locations.

Outbreaks accounted for about 24 per cent of all known COVID-19 cases in the past three months.

An “outbreak” is also a specifically defined event in public health terms. In long-term care or retirement home settings, a single positive case in a staff member or resident is enough for an outbreak to be declared, due to the higher risk of serious consequences in those settings. In childcare settings, a single symptomatic case in a child or staff member triggers an outbreak response. In schools, at least two cases must be confirmed and there must be evidence of spread within the school before an outbreak is officially declared. Two cases with a link between them are also required for a “community” outbreak in a workplace, such as bar or restaurant.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looked at the data from outbreaks in Ottawa reported between Aug. 1 and Oct. 24 to break down the figures.

Schools and childcare

The figure that stood out in Thursday’s data about the number of outbreaks in Ottawa was the 39 per cent for schools and childcare settings.

Data from Ottawa Public Health show 78 outbreaks in schools and daycares between Aug. 1 and Oct. 24; however, these outbreaks have been consistently small, often ending with the minimum number of positive test results that triggered the public health response. There were also 14 outbreaks in childcare spaces before the first outbreak in a school was officially declared.

Of those outbreaks, 45 were in childcare spaces and 33 were in schools. These outbreaks accounted for 165 total cases (116 in children or students and 49 in staff) and zero deaths.

One childcare space had four cases in the time it was open; four childcare outbreaks led to three cases; five childcare outbreaks had two cases, and 32 had a single case. Data is missing from the spreadsheet provided by OPH in three outbreaks at childcare centres.

In schools, one outbreak led to 13 cases, while there were six additional outbreaks with five or more cases. Two outbreaks in schools led to four cases, four outbreaks in schools led to three cases, and 19 outbreaks reported just two cases.

Of all outbreaks in schools and childcare spaces that began between Aug. 1 and Oct. 24, 11 remain active as of Oct. 29.

Long-term care homes and retirement homes

There were fewer new outbreaks in retirement homes and long-term care homes in Ottawa than there were in schools and daycares, but the outcomes were much worse in the former than in the latter.

From Aug. 1 to Oct. 24, Ottawa Public Health reported 67 outbreaks in long-term care homes and retirement homes (31 long-term care homes and 36 retirement homes). These outbreaks led to 509 cases (277 in residents and 232 in staff) and 33 deaths.

It should be noted that, of these outbreaks, a single one at West End Villa is responsible for 127 total cases and 20 deaths.

Twenty-six outbreaks in long-term care and retirement homes began and ended with a single case. Two outbreaks with one case that began between Aug. 1 and Oct. 24 remain active. Twenty outbreaks involved five or more cases. Of those, 13 remain active as of Oct. 29.

Data is missing from two outbreaks in the spreadsheet provided by Ottawa Public Health.

Outcomes at long-term care homes and retirement homes have improved since the spring. While the number of COVID-19 outbreaks between March 20 and June 1 was much lower, at 35, they were far deadlier, accounting for 233 deaths out of 1,021 cases. This suggests staff at long-term care homes and retirement homes have become better at isolating and containing COVID-19 when it is detected in the home before it spreads.

Community outbreaks

Data on community outbreaks, such as in workplaces, sports and recreation, homes, and religious institutions, is much less clear.

Ottawa Public Health does not specifically identify the locations of outbreaks such as these, nor does it provide any information as to when the outbreaks began and ended, nor does it provide breakdowns of how many cases were linked to each individual outbreak.

Data from the Ontario government showed three outbreaks in bars and restaurants between Aug. 1 and Oct. 24, two in grocery and retail settings, nine in gyms and sports settings, and two in religious settings or events.

  • Data from Ottawa Public Health show the following information for all community outbreaks:
  • Religious/Spiritual Organizations: 1 closed outbreak, 6 cases, 0 deaths
  • Residential: 1 closed outbreak, 14 cases, 0 deaths
  • Sports and Recreation: 7 closed outbreaks, 54 cases, 0 deaths
  • Workplace: 3 open outbreaks, 21 closed outbreaks, 158 cases, 1 death

According to OPH, there were 128 cases linked to community outbreaks between Aug. 1 and Oct. 24.

Community Transmission

Outbreaks accounted for 985 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa between Aug. 1 and Oct. 24. There were 3,295 new cases in that same time period that are considered “sporadic” and were not connected to a declared outbreak.

The source of infection for all cases in that time varies, but close contact accounts for the majority of the known causes transmission in that time.

According to OPH data, 1,314 cases list close contact as the source of infection, while 963 people were exposed because of an outbreak.

However, there are more questions than answers for community transmission rates, as the source of infection is considered “missing” in 1,175 cases and is unknown in 638 cases, as of Oct. 29.

The data provided is a snapshot in time. The data can change as contact-tracing investigations reveal new information. This is especially true of cases reported within the last 14 days.

METHODOLOGY

Figures for this report were obtained via open source data provided by Ottawa Public Health.

Data for institutional outbreaks can be found here: https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=5b24f70482fe4cf1824331d89483d3d3

Data for community outbreaks can be found here: https://open.ottawa.ca/datasets/0df365456c254fbc942fe3d85c3dbf83

Data on sources of infection can be found here: https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=6bfe7832017546e5b30c5cc6a201091b

This report used data from Aug. 1 to Oct. 24, to match the information provided by the Ontario government on Thursday listing the number of outbreaks in Ottawa. The dates from the March to June comparison of long-term care and retirement home outbreaks included outbreaks that began between March 20 and May 27, 2020.

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Avian influenza spread: WHO gives public health warning as FDA calms food safety concerns – Food Ingredients First

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23 April 2024 — The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the ongoing spread of avian influenza poses a “significant public health concern” and urged health authorities, especially in the US, to closely monitor infections in cows. However, the US FDA maintains that the virus is not currently a concern to consumer health and downplayed its impact on commercial milk production.

Earlier this month, the largest producer of fresh eggs in the US halted production at a Texas plant after bird flu was detected in its chickens. Cal-Maine Foods said that about 3.6% of its total flock was destroyed after the infection.

However, the virus, also known as H5N1, has now been found in at least 26 dairy herds across eight US states, marking the first time this strain of bird flu has been detected in cattle, according to officials.

At least 21 states have restricted cattle importations from states where the virus is known to have infected dairy cows.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service strongly recommends minimizing the movement of cattle, but has not issued federal quarantine orders.

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Public health threat
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed this month that a dairy worker in Texas, who reportedly had exposure to dairy cattle presumed to have had avian influenza, contracted the virus and is now recovering.

“This infection does not change the H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the US general public, which CDC considers to be low,” the agency said in a press release, while acknowledging that people who come into more frequent contact with possibly infected birds or other mammals have a higher risk.

Meanwhile, WHO’s chief scientist, Dr. Jeremy Farrar, told reporters recently in Geneva, Switzerland, that H5N1 has had an “extremely high” mortality rate among the several hundred people known to have been infected with it to date.

Mother and child drinking milk.US health officials have downplayed the impact of bird flu on food safety and industry production.However, no human-to-human H5N1 transmission has yet been recorded.

“H5N1 is an influenza infection, predominantly started in poultry and ducks and has spread effectively over the course of the last one or two years to become a global zoonotic — animal — pandemic,” said Farrar.

“The great concern, of course, is that in doing so and infecting ducks and chickens — but now increasingly mammals — the virus now evolves and develops the ability to infect humans.

“And then critically, the ability to go from human-to-human transmission.”

Concerns with cattle
US health officials have stressed that bird flu’s risk to the public is low, and the country’s food supply remains safe and stable.

“At this time, there continues to be no concern that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health or that it affects the safety of the interstate commercial milk supply,” the FDA said in a statement.

According to officials, farmers are being urged to test cows that show symptoms of infection and separate them from the herd, where they usually recover within two weeks.

US producers are not permitted to sell milk from sick cows, while milk sold across state lines must be pasteurized or heat-treated to kill viruses, including influenza.Silhouette of farmer tending to cow.A dairy worker in Texas reportedly contracted the virus after exposure to cattle.

“We firmly believe that pasteurization provides a safe milk supply,” Tracey Forfa, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, told a webinar audience last week.

However, WHO’s Farrar has urged further caution by public health authorities “because it [the virus] may evolve into transmitting in different ways.”

“Do the milking structures of cows create aerosols? Is it the environment which they’re living in? Is it the transport system that is spreading this around the country?” he said.

“This is a huge concern, and I think we have to…make sure that if H5N1 did come across to humans with human-to-human transmission that we were in a position to immediately respond with access equitably to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.”

According to a new European Food Safety Authority report, outbreaks of avian influenza continue to spread in the EU and beyond.

By Joshua Poole

To contact our editorial team please email us at
editorial@cnsmedia.com

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York Region urges you to get up to date on vaccinations – NewmarketToday.ca

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York Region Public Health is reminding residents to keep up to date on their vaccinations as National Immunization Awareness Week begins.

The regional municipality said it is important to stay up to date on recommended vaccinations to ensure protection from contagious diseases. That includes updated COVID-19 vaccinations for vulnerable populations, recommended as part of a spring vaccination campaign.

“We know vaccines are safe and the best way to stay protected against vaccine-preventable disease,” the region said in a news release. 

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National Immunization Awareness Week runs from April 22 to 30, with this year’s theme being “Protect your future, get immunized.” 

This spring, the region is still doing COVID-19 vaccinations. While walk-ins are no longer available as of April 2, you can book an appointment to visit a York Region clinic.

The spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign is aimed at more vulnerable groups who have received a COVID-19 vaccine before. Those include seniors, those living in seniors living facilities like long-term care homes, immunocompromised individuals and those in Indigenous households who are 55 or older. Public health also recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for those who have not yet received one.

York Region Public Health is also reminding residents of the need for other vaccines. 

Measles cases have sprung up in Ontario and York Region recently. The region is recommending that people ensure they previously raised two valid doses of the measles vaccine. The region will also start providing measles vaccines April 29 for those overdue and for who do not have access to the vaccine through a health-care provider.

School-aged vaccinations are also available for free for children in junior kindergarten to Grade 12.

You can access immunization information at york.ca/immunziations or by contacting Access York at 1-877-464-9675.

“Vaccination helps protect everyone in our families, communities and schools,” the region said. “ By continuing to stay up to date on your immunizations, you help protect infants who are too young to be vaccinated and those not able to get vaccinated due to medical conditions.”

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Bird flu raises concern of WHO – ecns

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The World Health Organization (WHO) said the rising number of bird flu cases has raised “great concern” because it had an “extremely high” mortality rate among those who had been infected around the world.

The WHO’s data show that from 2003 through March 2024, a total of 889 worldwide human cases of H5N1 infection had been recorded in 23 countries, resulting in 463 deaths and a 52 percent mortality rate. The majority of deaths occurred in Southeast Asian countries and Egypt.

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The most recent death was in Vietnam in late March, when a 21-year-old male without underlying conditions died of the infection after bird hunting. So far, cases in Europe and the United States have been mild.

Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist at the WHO, said recently that H5N1, predominantly started in poultry and ducks, “has spread effectively over the course of the last one or two years to become a global zoonotic — animal — pandemic”.

He said that the great concern is that the virus is increasingly infecting mammals and then develops the ability to infect humans. It would become critical if the virus develops the ability to “go from human-to-human transmission”, Farrar said.

In the past month, health officials have detected H5N1 in cows and goats from 29 dairy herds across eight states in the US, saying it is an alarming development because those livestock weren’t considered susceptible to H5N1.

The development worries health experts and officials because humans regularly come into contact with livestock on farms. In the US, there are only two recorded cases of human infection — one in 2022 and one in April this year in Texas. Both infected individuals worked in close proximity to livestock, but their symptoms were mild.

Wenqing Zhang, head of the WHO’s global influenza program, told the Daily Mail that “bird-to-cow, cow-to-cow and cow-to-bird transmission have also been registered during these current outbreaks, which suggest that the virus may have found other routes of transition than we previously understood”.

Zhang said that multiple herds of cow infections in the US states meant “a further step of the virus spillover to mammals”.

The virus has been found in raw milk, but the Texas Health Services department has said the cattle infections don’t present a concern for the commercial milk supply, as dairies are required to destroy milk from sick cows. In addition, pasteurization also kills the virus.

Darin Detwiler, a former food safety adviser to the Food and Drug Administration and the US Agriculture Department, said that Americans should avoid rare meat and runny eggs while the outbreak in cattle is going on to avoid the possibility of infection from those foods.

Nevertheless, both the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the risk the virus poses to the public is still low. Currently no human-to-human infection has been detected.

On the potential HN51 public health risk, Farrar cautioned that vaccine development was not “where we need to be”.

According to a report by Barron’s, under the current plan by the US Health and Human Services Department, if there is an H5N1 pandemic, the government would be able to supply a few hundred thousand doses within weeks, then 135 million within about four months.

People would need two doses of the shot to be fully protected. That means the US government would be able to inoculate about 68 million people — 20 percent — of 330 million in case of an outbreak.

The situation is being closely watched by scientists and health officials. Some experts said that a high mortality rate might not necessarily hold true in the event the virus became contagious among people.

“We may not see the level of mortality that we’re really concerned about,” Seema Lakdawala, a virologist at Emory University, told The New York Times. “Preexisting immunity to seasonal flu strains will provide some protection from severe disease.”

Agencies contributed to this story.


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