As the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic is marked, the race is on to get more people vaccinated as soon as possible as local infection numbers in the Peterborough region continue to climb.
During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Thursday (March 11), medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra reported there are currently 81 active positive cases of COVID-19 in the region — an increase of 18 over the past seven days.
But more disturbing, according to Dr. Salvaterra, is the 89 presumed cases of more transmissible COVID-19 variants of concern — with a second variant case now confirmed (presumed cases have a mutation that all the variants share; further genomic sequencing is then done to confirm the actual variant).
To date in March, 95 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the region, putting the month well on track to eclipse February’s total of 105 cases and be the third highest month for new cases reported during the entire course of the pandemic.
But tempering the news of rising local COVID-19 cases is some progress on the vaccination front.
On Wednesday (March 10), Peterborough Public Health announced the second dose of vaccine has been given to long-term care residents who reside at the area’s eight long-term care homes. An estimated 90 per cent of close to 950 long-term care residents are now fully vaccinated.
In addition, first doses continue to be given to long-term care home staff, retirement home residents and staff, Curve Lake residents, and health care workers deemed highest priority. This week is seeing Hiawatha residents and urban Indigenous people being vaccinated while next week the process to vaccinate seniors residing in congregate living settings receive their first dose.
But grabbing the most public attention on the vaccine front is the distribution to family health care providers of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for patients in the 60 to 64 age group.
Close to 30,000 doses are being distributed amongst six Ontario regions, Peterborough included. Dr. Salvaterra said Peterborough’s share of 4,500 doses are “expected” to arrive on Friday. According to the 2016 census, there are more than 16,500 60 to 64 year olds in the the city and county of Peterborough.
“How doctors prioritize which of their patients get vaccinated is up to them,” said Dr. Salvaterra.
“It’s truly a pilot project,” she added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re trying different things. What we don’t want is people phoning their doctors asking for the vaccine. You’re going to have to be patient. If you get the call, it will be up to you if you would like to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
Speaking to a report out of Denmark that some AstraZeneca recipients have experienced blood clotting with one related death, leading to a suspension of its use in Denmark, Dr. Salvaterra said while it’s “important that these types of events be reported, sometimes it’s just a temporal association … people got vaccinated one day and something happens the next day and you can’t link the two.”
“Certainly it is not uncommon that if you do have a significant event that you pause either the use of the whole vaccine or that lot number until you can determine whether or not there was a link, so this (the suspension of AstraZeneca by Denmark) doesn’t surprise me. I look forward to learning more about what happened there.”
As for the pilot project distribution of vaccines to pharmacies in Windsor-Essex, Kingston, and Toronto for those who make an appointment, Dr. Salvaterra said depending on how well that is rolled out “we should hear what the provincial policy decision will be as to which vaccine (will be issued to pharmacies in other regions) and when.”
“I truly suspect the AstraZeneca vaccine will be offered here in our pharmacies and they’ll play a big role in our vaccine rollout just as they do with the flu immunization program.”
Dr. Salvaterra also provided an update on the local vaccine rollout plan in the spring.
“In April, we will begin immunizing people over the age of 75 and, by the end of that month, people over the age of 70. Also in April, those with specific health conditions and their caregivers will be able to get vaccinated. In May we will invite people over age 65 to book an appointment, and then those over 60 will become eligible by mid-May. By June, we’ll be able to vaccinate everyone who cannot work from home.”
More immediately, those 80 and over will be eligible for the vaccine starting next week in conjunction with the launch of the provincial appointment booking system, called COVaxON. Next week also marks the opening of mass vaccination clinics locally at the Evinrude Centre and the Norwood Arena.
“If you have a photo health card, you’ve already been registered in the COVax system; you do not need to pre-register,” stressed Dr. Salvaterra.
“We will advertise widely when each group will be able to book appointments. Once you become eligible, you remain eligible and can be immunized whenever it works best for you. You won’t lose your place in line if you don’t get immunized immediately.”
Meanwhile, regarding COVID-19 rules enforcement, Peterborough Police Services Inspector John Lyons said no charges will be laid against The Junction nightclub in downtown Peterborough after photos of patrons partying without masks or any social distancing were published on the business’s Facebook page. That post drew a lot of angry comments on social media before it was taken down by The Junction.
“It was investigated and determined, through public health, that they were old photos from approximately a year ago that were not as recent as they may have appeared to be,” Lyons said. “It was not as fresh or current as social media led it to seem, so it was dispelled.”
Peterborough Public Health’s catchment area — which includes Peterborough city and county and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations — remains at the ‘Red-Control’ level of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework — a more restrictive status that has been in place since March 8.
For a complete list of restrictions now in place, visit ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open#red.
The region’s placement at the ‘Red-Control’ level — a step back from a short-lived placement at the ‘Yellow-Protect’ level — came following a major outbreak at the Severn Court Student Residence on Wilfred Drive, a privately owned student housing complex in the city’s southeast near Fleming College, resulting from a party or parties held February 20.
To date, 56 positive cases have resulted from what is the largest local COVID-19 outbreak to date, including one infected person who has recently been hospitalized.
Subsequent outbreaks — including one at Trent University’s Champlain College affecting eight people and another at The Regency of Lakefield retirement home — combined with the rising infection numbers, have lessened the region’s chances of being returned to a less restrictive level any time soon.
To date, there are 46 positive cases per 100,000 people locally — a number that is keeping the region at the ‘Red-Control’ level.
Also commenting during Thursday’s media briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien, Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, Hiawatha First Nations Chief Laurie Carr, and Peterborough board of health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell.
