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Ontario has announced that it will be the first province to mandate immunization policies for long-term care homes.
The requirement, set out in a minister’s directive under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, requires homes to have COVID-19 immunization policies for staff as of July 1.
The directive requires that staff members in LTC homes must do one of three things: provide proof of each dose of vaccination; provide a documented reason for not being vaccinated; or participate in an educational program about the benefits of vaccination and the risks of not being vaccinated.
According to the province, about 97 per cent of Ontario LTC residents were fully immunized as of Saturday and more than 89 per cent of staff have received at least their first dose. About 66 per cent fully immunized.
“By encouraging more workers to get vaccinated, the likelihood of infections and outbreaks is reduced — which allows for additional easing of restrictions in homes and more opportunities for residents to enjoy activities that support their well-being and quality of life,” said the province in a statement.
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The Long-Term Care Homes Act authorizes the Minister of Long-Term Care to issue operational or policy directives where the minister considers it in the public interest to do so. Every licensee of a long-term care home must carry out operational or policy directives.
Homes will be required to track and report on the implementation of their policies, including overall staff immunization rates, although individual immunization status will not be shared with the province.
Samantha Peck, the president of Family Councils Ontario, said the provincial policy was developed with input from operators, residents and family caregivers.
The requirement “helps put at ease and shows respect for the families of Ontario’s long-term care home residents who have been concerned about unvaccinated staff providing care to their loved ones,” she said in a statement.
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On May 4, the province loosened restrictions so homes could resume communal dining and social activities, with precautions. On May 21, friends and family were permitted to resume outdoor visits.
Ontario reported 916 new confirmed cases on Monday — down from the 1,033 reported on Sunday — for a total of 531,459 cases since the pandemic began. There were 13 new deaths as of Sunday at 1 p..m, for a total of 8,757 deaths.
Across the province, 731 people are in hospital, with 617 in ICU and 382 on a ventilator.
The effective reproduction number in the province is 0.82. The number represents, on average, how many other people an individual with COVID-19 will infect. A number over 1 indicates that the number of cases go up. If the number is below 1, it indicates that the number of cases will go down.
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Health Minister Christine Elliot reported on Monday morning that over nine million doses of vaccine had been administered in the province.
Starting Monday, second doses will be offered to anyone over 80 years of age, followed by anyone over 70 beginning the week of June 14.
“Once we’ve provided more protection to our most vulnerable we’ll begin offering more Ontarians their second doses,” tweeted Premier Doug Ford. “This means we’re all getting one step closer to normal.”
In Ottawa, 39 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported as of Sunday afternoon for a total of 27,058 cases and 676 active cases. There has been one new death for a total of 570. There are currently 36 people with COVID-19 being treated in Ottawa hospitals, with 10 in ICU.
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There are 20 current outbreaks healthcare settings, including two new outbreaks and two ongoing outbreaks in childcare settings as well as two in the community.
In Ottawa, the effective reproduction number, which represents at seven-day average, was 0.858 as of Sunday.
In the region, Renfrew County has reported two new cases and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit has reported 10 new cases.
Quebec reported a total of 276 new cases and one new death. There are 17 new cases in the Outaouais with 169 active cases in Gatineau and a total of 203 in the Outaouais region.
On Monday morning, Ottawa Public Health reported that it was aware of ongoing issues with the provincial vaccine booking system and said it was was working with the province to resolve those issues.
“Please note that once the issues are resolved, available appointments will still be based on supply,” said Ottawa Public Health in a tweet. “As always, we thank you for your continued patience in all of this.”
The City of Ottawa announced just before noon that all bookings had been paused until the issue could be resolved.
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The City of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health have announced that they will be holding a new series of pop-up clinics to reach residents of priority neighbourhoods beginning this week.
“The goal is to raise vaccination rates in priority neighbourhoods and meet the needs of people with the greatest barriers to accessing the vaccine,” said the city in a statement.
Only residents living in specific neighbourhoods will be eligible for first-dose vaccination. Eligible residents must be 12 years of age or over at the time of vaccination. Appointments can only be made in-person during operating hours between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on a first-come- first-served basis.
“Pop-up clinics will be focused on serving specific neighbourhoods, so residents are encouraged to not wait for a pop-up clinic to come to their community, as not all priority neighbourhoods may receive a pop-up clinic,” said the city.
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Residents from outside the priority neighbourhood will be directed to available appointments in the provincial vaccine booking system.
Here’s a list of pop-ups scheduled for this week:
• On Monday and Tuesday, a pop-up clinic will be held at Bayshore Shopping Centre for Bayshore and Belltown residents. Another pop-up will be held Saturday and Sunday at Regina Street Alternative School.
• On Thursday and Friday, Lowertown residents can receive their first vaccinations at Patro d’Ottawa Community Centre.
• On Wednesday, residents of Ledbury, Heron Gate and Ridgemont can receive a first vaccination at Infinity Centre. A second pop-up will be held Saturday and Sunday at Ridgemont High School.
• Residents of Hawthorne Meadows and Sheffield Glen can receive their first vaccination on Wednesday at Infinity Centre.
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To check eligibility, or for more information about upcoming pop-up clinic locations and neighbourhoods visit OttawaPublicHealth.ca.
Canada is set to receive 2.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses this week, thanks in large part to an increase in planned deliveries from Pfizer and BioNTech.
The two pharmaceutical companies had been delivering about 2 million shots per week through the month of May, but will increase that to 2.4 million doses per week starting on Monday.
The federal government says the other 500,000 shots due to arrive this week will come from Moderna, which will deliver the jabs in two separate shipments.
The first will arrive in the middle of the week while the second is due for delivery next weekend, with the doses set for distribution to provinces and territories next week.
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The government is also expecting another 1 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of June, though a detailed delivery schedule has not been confirmed.
The fate of more than 300,000 shots from Johnson and Johnson that were first delivered in April remains unclear as Health Canada continues reviewing their safety following concerns about possible tainting at a Baltimore production facility.
The arrival of more Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots comes after Health Canada’s Saturday decision to extend the expiry date of tens of thousands of AstraZeneca doses by one month. Many Canadians had been scrambling to get a second shot before the original best-by date of May 31.
The department stressed in a statement that the move was supported by ample scientific evidence.
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News of the extension came as pharmacists and physicians in Ontario planned to work through the weekend to use up 45,000 shots expiring on May 31 and 10,000 more with a best-before date in June.
Any injections formerly set to expire on Monday can now be used until July 1, according to Health Canada’s new guidance.
Some provinces have paused their use of the vaccine over supply issues and concerns around a rare but deadly blood clotting disorder linked to the shots.
There were just over two dozen confirmed cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, also known as VITT, in Canada as of last Thursday, with another 14 under investigation.
Five people had died of the condition, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.
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Ontario resumed the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for second doses this past week, citing evidence that the likelihood of developing the condition is even lower after the follow-up shot than it is after the first injection.
As of Sunday night, provinces reported administering more than 23 million doses, with more than half the population having received at least one shot. Nearly 2 million Canadians, or about five per cent of the population, have been fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, despite Ontario being in the midst of a stay-at-home order, Premier Doug Ford said on Monday 550 frontline workers fully vaccinated for COVID-19 will be allowed into Scotiabank Arena for Game Seven of the NHL playoff series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
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The announcement is an about-face for the Ontario government which on Sunday indicated it would continue with strict health and safety protocols as the province emerges from a third wave of the pandemic.
Ontario is currently under a stay-at-home order until June 2.
The Canadiens opened doors on Saturday to 2,500 fans for Game Six of the opening round best-of-seven series won by Montreal 3-2 forcing the decider in Toronto on Monday.
The Scotiabank Arena has a listed seating capacity of 19,800.
“Following discussions with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Toronto Public Health and hospital partners, I am happy to announce that they have signed off on allowing 550 fully vaccinated frontline health care workers, including hospital and long-term care staff, to be invited to attend Game Seven of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena,” Ford said in a statement.
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As the week began, Ontario parents, teachers and school boards were awaiting the province’s response to the letter from Ontario’s Science Advisory Table urging the province to re-open schools safely on a region basis.
In its response to Ford’s letter requesting the science table’s input last week, the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table said schools should be the last sector to close and the first sector to reopen.
“While the pandemic was surging, school closures were a necessary step to control that surge. However, school closures create harm. Surveys show a substantial deterioration of mental health status among children and youth during the pandemic,” said the Science Table in a statement on Saturday.
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“This deterioration is now evident in the form of increased ambulatory care use and hospital admissions, most poignantly for children and youth with eating disorders.”
The Science Table is made up of medical experts, medical associations and hospitals from across the province. Its modelling suggests that the total increase in cases that would result from re-opening schools is small, and most public health units believe that they can mitigate and manage those increases in their communities, said the statement, which added that schools can re-open re-open safely on a regional basis.
The letter also noted that the B.1.617.2 variant of concern (first identified in India) presents a “significant unknown.”
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“To address that uncertainty, Ontario should ensure access to first doses for all eligible Ontarians and accelerate second doses for those most vulnerable to COVID, while keeping other sectors closed until they are re-opened by the framework. We must keep case numbers low enough during the next three months to ensure a return to consistent, in-person schooling in September.”
The Science Table noted that a month of in-person schooling will allow schools to re-establish contact with students.
“But that’s not enough. The summer will provide an ideal time to make the whole school system even safer by continuing to improve ventilation in school buildings and by vaccinating students.”
Ontario’s post-secondary institutions are contemplating vaccination policies for the fall semester.
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Last week, Western University in London, Ontario, announced it would require students living in residence to get their first shot before arriving on campus. Students will have 14 days after moving into residence to make an appointment.
The measure is contingent on the supply of vaccine and could change based on evolving provincial regulations. Students who can’t get vaccinated for medical reasons, or for reasons protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code, can seek an exemption, said the university.
The Council of Ontario Universities has sought a legal opinion on compulsory vaccination for students wishing to attend in-person courses.
In a statement, the University of Ottawa said it has made no decision so far, but continues to put in place all the necessary measures to ensure a safe and progressive return to campus.
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A spokesman for Carleton University said any decision on mandatory vaccination will be made in compliance with recommendations and guidance from the province and Ontario Public Health. Starting Wednesday, Carleton’s health and counselling services will start administering first doses of Moderna vaccine to eligible members of the campus community, including students over 18 years old.
Algonquin College is establishing a vaccination program through its health services unit. So far there is no vaccination requirement for students required to be on Algonquin College’s campuses for academic activities, said a spokesman.
Students first returned to Algonquin’s campuses for a summer 2020 provincial pilot project and campuses have only been open for required academic activity and limited support services, he said.
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“Only those students and employees required to be onsite — as part of their learning and work activities — are attending campuses in person. Our current model of limited on-campus and primarily remote course delivery is anticipated to continue through the Fall of 2021. With vaccination rollouts, we remain optimistic and hopeful for increased face-to-face teaching delivery options.”
With files from Citizen news services
COVID-19: Ontario schools await decision on reopening; province mandates immunization policies for LTC homes - Ottawa Citizen
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