The Ontario government announced late on Friday afternoon (May 21) that youth aged 12 and over will be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment as of 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 23rd.
Youth who book an appointment will receive the Pfizer vaccine, which is the only COVID-19 vaccine currently authorized by Health Canada for youth aged 12 and over.
Youth who are 12 years and older as of May 23 can book an appointment by phoning the provincial call centre at 1-833-943-3900, which is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days per week, or by booking online at ontario.ca/bookvaccine.
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Youth are turn 12 in 2021 but after May 23, can also book an appointment for a later date. Youth will have to be 12 years of age by the date of their appointment. The province says it expects to reach all youth aged 12 and over with a first dose before the end of June, and with a second dose by the end of August.
The Pfizer vaccine is also available at many pharmacies in Ontario, including in the greater Kawarthas region. As of Friday, another 600 pharmacies began offering the Pfizer vaccine to those 18 years and older, and eligibility will be expanded to those 12 years and older on Sunday. Visit covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations for a list of pharmacies offering Pfizer.
The province is also encouraging eligible family members who have not yet received their first dose of vaccine to also book their appointments along with youth in their family.
The seats have been empty at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough since the pandemic began in March 2020. The strategic recovery and resilience grants available from the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund are intended to help not-for-profit arts organizations like the Market Hall recover from the pandemic and prepare for reopening once public health restrictions are lifted. (Photo: Bradley Boyle)
After more than a year of closures, lost revenues, and lost dreams, Electric City Culture Council (EC3) and the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough have some good news for arts organizations in the city and county of Peterborough and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations.
Over $100,000 of Peterborough Arts Alive funding is now available for arts organizations working in any artistic discipline including visual arts, media arts, circus arts, theatre and performance arts, dance, music, literary arts, spoken word, and interdisciplinary arts.
As vaccines become available to much of the population, discourse turns from emergency relief towards recovery. However, much research, both at the national and international levels, indicates that recovery in the arts sector will be at least a two- to three-year process.
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The Peterborough Arts Alive Fund aims to help arts organizations both during the pandemic and the recovery period.
Successful applicants can use the fund’s strategic recovery and resilience grants to help fund anything from research and creative development for new artistic programming and organizational capacity building, to upgrading technological capacity and building practical tools and plans for a solid recovery.
“It’s a pretty sophisticated program,” says EC3 executive director Su Ditta. “I’d say it’s a bespoke program in the sense that it’s really looking at the needs and the experiences of arts organizations in our local community, and it really reflects an arts-forward city.”
Organizations with registered charitable status, incorporated not-for-profit organizations partnered with a registered charity as a fiscal sponsor, or ad hoc organizational collaborations with a charitable organization as lead applicant are all eligible to apply for the strategic recovery and resilience grants — so long as they have been operating for two years or longer, carried on with at least some activities during the pandemic, and are committed to resuming activities as soon as public health restrictions are lifted.
Priority will be given to professional arts organizations that support artistic work in any discipline and are led by paid and qualified professional personnel and governed by a board of directors. Grants will range from $1,500 to $10,000 to support arts organizations to recover from the pandemic and to prepare for reopening.
Eligible expenses and activities include personal protective equipment, renovations and plexiglass, technology upgrades, marketing and promotion, staff and volunteer training, developing creative content, and more.
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The Peterborough Arts Alive Fund, which has been a year in the making, started last spring when local educator and arts supporter Deborah Berrill — troubled by the sudden and devastating impacts the pandemic was having on the arts sector — reached out to Ditta at EC3.
“By late spring, it was clear it was going to be really bad and it was going to be a long haul,” Berrill recalls. “I was really concerned. Peterborough and the surrounding area are so special because we have all of these incredible artists here — it’s what makes Peterborough such an incredibly special place to live. And I wanted to contribute but I didn’t know how.”
“Deborah and her husband were really horrified about the impact of the pandemic on the local arts community,” Ditta says. “On venues being shut down, on artists losing commissions and exhibitions, on musicians having their tours cancelled. They were willing to donate some money and Deborah also offered to spend time raising some more money among her friends and colleagues who really care about the arts.”
“It mattered to me so much to support our artists because artists are the ones who support our whole well-being, our mental well-being, emotional well-being, our spiritual well-being,” Berrill adds.
That small ripple — Berrill’s phone call to Ditta — swelled into a wave. A $100,000 tidal wave.
Inspired by the public interest for arts fundraising, Ditta reached out to John Good — former director of fund development at the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough — to see if the foundation would host the funds Berrill and EC3 were raising. As an incorporated not-for-profit, EC3 does not have the registered charitable status required to issue charitable tax receipts for large donations.
The strategic recovery and resilience grants available from the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund are jointly administered by Electric City Culture Council and Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough. (Graphic: Electric City Culture Council)
Jennifer DeBues, the foundation’s co-executive director, then contacted Ditta to let her know people who have endowments with the foundation might be interested in donating to the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund.
“I then had contact with an anonymous donor, associated with the Community Foundation, who gave a really substantial donation to the Arts Alive Fund,” Ditta says.
The Peterborough Performing Arts Recovery Alliance — a group of 13 arts organizations and live performance venues in Peterborough and the surrounding region founded in August 2020 — also raising around $5,000 for the strategic recovery and resilience grants.
Then, in November 2020, Peterborough city council voted to make a one-time contribution of $40,000 to the fund, matching the $40,000 that had already been raised. That one-time contribution from the city was made possible largely thanks to councillor Kemi Akapo.
When councillors sat as the finance committee to review each page of the 2021 draft municipal budget, councillor Akapo moved that the city reallocate $40,000 of the $70,000 initially budgeted for new signage at the Peterborough Museum and Archives to the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund.
“Line by line, councillors pored through the budget within the arts, culture and heritage division, to see if they could find something that could be freed up,” Ditta explains.
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The fund now holds over $100,000 that promises to bolster not only local arts organizations, but also the local economy writ large.
“The arts are really essential to the downtown recovery, both in terms of attracting people downtown for food and beverages, but also because arts organizations spend a lot of their budgets at businesses downtown and all across the city,” Ditta says.
After a year of turmoil — and an immense amount of work from Deborah Berrill, EC3, the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, the Peterborough Performing Arts Recovery Alliance, the City of Peterborough, and countless private donors, whose individual gifts ranged from $50 to $40,000 — the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund brings hope.
As we look towards recovery, there’s no doubt that more challenges are to yet come for the arts sector — indeed, for the entire community. As we look at how far we’ve come, however, the story of the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund demonstrates that those who are not afraid to act, and who are aware of what is at stake, can make the biggest difference.
To learn more about eligibility criteria and how to apply to the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund, visit ecthree.org/program/arts-alive-grants. Applications close on Monday, June 7th.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,890 new cases today, with 5 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting triple-digit case increases. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 2,064 and the proportion of active cases has fallen for the 32nd straight day.
Hospitalizations and ICU admissions have decreased but the number of patients has risen. Ontario is reporting 27 new deaths, including 1 in a long-term care home.
A record number of doses of vaccine were administered yesterday and a record number of Ontarians received their second dose of vaccine yesterday. Almost 53% of Ontario’s total population has now received at least one dose of vaccine.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 47 new cases to report (including 19 in Kawartha Lakes for the second day in a row, 15 in Peterborough, 9 in Northumberland, and 4 in Hastings Prince Edward) with an additional 34 cases resolved. Active cases have climbed by 12 to 272, with a large increase in Kawartha Lakes and a smaller increase in Northumberland. The number of active cases in Peterborough remains unchanged and active cases have decreased in Hastings Prince Edward and Haliburton. See below for details from each health unit.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (469), Peel (468), York (165), Hamilton (111), and Durham (107).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Middlesex-London (71), Halton (70), Ottawa (62), Porcupine (58), Waterloo (48), Simcoe Muskoka (43), Niagara (34), Windsor-Essex (31), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (26), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (22), Southwestern (15), Huron Perth (11), Lambton (10), and Brant (10), with smaller increases in Eastern Ontario (7), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (7), Northwestern (6), North Bay Parry Sound (6), and Grey Bruce (6).
The remaining 10 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 4 health units reporting only 1 case and 1 health unit (Timiskaming) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 63% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (801) among people ages 20-39 followed by 468 cases among people ages 40-59 and 397 cases among people 19 and under.
With 2,689 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to at 94.1% — the 32nd straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.2% to 5.4%, meaning that 54 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on May 20.
Ontario is reporting 27 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 1 new death in a long-term care home. Ontario has averaged 21 new daily deaths over the past week (no change from yesterday).
Hospitalizations have decreased by 55 to 1,265, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs declining by 6 to 715 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators rising by 17 to 510.
A total of 37,126 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 751 to 19,891.
A total of 7,735,148 doses of vaccine have now been administered, a record increase of 158,524 from yesterday, and 495,757 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, a record increase of 21,998 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 3.36% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.14% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 52.50% of the total population, an increase of 1.08% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 47 new cases to report, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 15 in Peterborough, 9 in Northumberland, and 4 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
An Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough was declared on May 21, based on 1 positive resident case linked to a staff member who had tested positive.
There are 21 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 14 in Kawartha Lakes, 5 in Hastings Prince Edward, 1 in Peterborough, and 1 in Northumberland.
An additional 34 cases have been resolved, including 15 in Peterborough, 12 in Hastings Prince Edward, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton. An outbreak at Dairy Queen in Lindsay has been declared resolved. An outbreak at an unidentified child care facility in Belleville was declared resolved on May 20. An outbreak at an unidentified workplace in Belleville was declared resolved on May 21.
There are currently 272 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 12 from yesterday, including 109 in Peterborough, 74 in Kawartha Lakes, 48 in Hastings Prince Edward (13 in Quinte West, 14 in Belleville, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 4 in Prince Edward County, 12 in Central Hastings, and 3 in North Hastings), 37 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,443 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,316 resolved with 18 deaths), 876 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (759 resolved with 56 deaths), 897 in Northumberland County (843 resolved with 17 deaths), 118 in Haliburton County (113 resolved with 1 death), and 1,089 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,030 resolved with 11 deaths). The two most recent deaths were reported in Northumberland and Hastings Prince Edward on May 20.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,443 (increase of 15) Total variants of concern cases: 621 (increase of 1) Active cases: 109 (no change) Close contacts: 380 (increase of 6) Deaths: 18 (no change) Resolved: 1,316 (increase of 15) Hospitalizations (total to date): 63 (no change)* ICU admissions (total to date): 14 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 51,850 (increase of 150) Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 69,989 (increase of 3,944 as of May 20) Number of residents who have received first dose: 64,199 (increase of 3,675 as of May 20) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 4,852 (increase of 277 as of May 20) Outbreaks: Unidentified congregate living facility #3 in the City of Peterborough, Helping Hands Day Care in Peterborough County, Unidentified workplace #9 in Peterborough County, Unidentified workplace #10 in Peterborough County, Peterborough Day Care Centre in the City of Peterborough, Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough (increase of 1)**
*As of May 20, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 7 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1) and a total of 75 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**An Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough was declared on May 21, based on 1 positive resident case linked to a staff member who had tested positive.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,891, including 876 in Kawartha Lakes, 897 in Northumberland, and 118 in Haliburton (increase of 28, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes and 9 in Northumberland)* Total variants of concern cases: 571, including 246 in Kawartha Lakes, 292 in Northumberland, and 33 in Haliburton (increase of 15, including 14 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland) Active cases: 115, including 74 in Kawartha Lakes, 37 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton (net increase of 20, including 15 in Kawartha Lakes and 6 in Northumberland) Probable cases: None (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 70, including 36 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 74, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,715, including 759 in Kawartha Lakes, 843 in Northumberland, and 113 in Haliburton (increase of 7, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 190,439 (increase of 591) Vaccine doses administered to residents: 85,785 (increase of 6,353 as of May 17) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 4,877 (increase of 415 as of May 17) Outbreaks: OPP Offender Transport Lindsay, Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Campbellford Farm Supply LTD (decrease of 1)***
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**As of May 21, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1).
***An outbreak at Dairy Queen in Lindsay has been declared resolved.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,089 (increase of 4) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 450 (increase of 5) Active cases: 48 (decrease of 8) Deaths: 11 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 12 (decrease of 3) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 6 (no change) Resolved: 1,030 (increase of 12) Tests completed: 139,872 (increase of 1) Vaccine doses administered: 81,844 (increase of 2,291) Number of people fully vaccinated: 6,606 (increase of 296) Outbreaks: Quinte 5 at QHC Belleville General Hospital, Unidentified workplace in Central Hastings, Community outbreak in Hastings Highlands in North Hastings (decrease of 2)*
*An outbreak at an unidentified child care facility in Belleville was declared resolved on May 20. An outbreak at an unidentified workplace in Belleville was declared resolved on May 21.
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 518,980 (increase of 1,890) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 115,799 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 1,230); 691 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 7); 2,142 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 53) VOC R(t): 0.83 (decrease of 0.01 as of May 16)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 2,064 (decrease of 67) Positivity rate: 5.4% (increase of 0.2%) Resolved: 488,201 (increase of 2,689), 94.1% of all cases (increase of 0.2%) Hospitalizations: 1,265 (decrease of 55) Hospitalizations in ICU: 715 (decrease of 6) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 510 (increase of 17) Deaths: 8,579 (increase of 27) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 21 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,945 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 14,938,913 (increase of 37,126) Tests under investigation: 19,891 (decrease of 751) Vaccination doses administered: 7,735,148 (increase of 158,524), 52.50% of Ontario’s population (increase of 1.08%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 495,757 (increase of 21,998), 3.36% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.14%)**
*R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
**An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from April 20 – May 20, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from April 20 – May 20, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from April 20 – May 20, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day rolling average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from April 20 – May 20, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from April 20 – May 20, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
At the risk of sounding like a bar owner settling a patron dispute, Peterborough’s medical officer of health is urging residents to “take it outside” this long weekend.
During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Friday (May 21), Dr. Rosana Salvaterra spoke to a number of new pandemic-related developments, including the restart of the AstraZeneca vaccine roll-out and a provincial directive that long-term and retirement homes can welcome general visitors effective Saturday (May 22).
However, her message concerning long weekend socialization was emphasized by her and other municipal leaders in attendance.
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“I really can’t emphasize enough that we cannot be socializing indoors,” said Dr. Salvaterra, acknowledging that a spike in new cases has been typically seen following long weekends. “When outdoors, avoid crowds and covered areas where ventilation is compromised. Avoid areas where loud music makes it necessary to project your voice and your droplets.”
“Eating and drinking (with others) are risky behaviours. Reduce the risk by maintaining your distance and not sharing food, beverages or containers with people outside of your household. And if you need to drive somewhere to exercise, to play golf or some tennis, don’t carpool.”
Even sitting closely with others in a boat can increase the risk of infection, she added.
“We’ve had local cases that have arisen from people boating together. If you’re tempted to take out your boat or canoe this weekend, the provincial regulations prohibit non-household members from sharing a watercraft for recreational purposes.”
Dr. Salvaterra said avoiding the ‘three Cs’ — crowded spaces, covered or closed spaces, and close contact — will give the region the best chance of coming through the long weekend with a minimal number of new cases.
During the course of the briefing, Dr. Salvaterra received word that province is allowing long-term and retirement homes not in outbreak to have “general visitors” effective Saturday (May 22).
“All of those facilities are being asked today to put into place the procedures they will need to do active screening. Rapid testing will not be required for visitors but the hope is these visits can happen outdoors.”
As for the resumed rollout of AstraZeneca, Dr. Salvaterra noted, as per provincial public health guidance, those who received their first dose of the vaccine March 10 to 19 are eligible to receive their second dose next week.
“Informed consent will be required, but choosing to go ahead with a second dose of AstraZeneca is safe and it does provide strong protection,” said Dr. Salvaterra.
“If you are one of those (eligible) people and you would like to get your second dose before May 31, call your (health care) provider next week and let him or her know. We will have some AstraZeneca vaccine here next week but it’s first come, first served.”
“For everyone else who received AstraZeneca, there will be another announcement about your options for a second dose. That should happen before the end of the month.”
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As of Thursday at 4:30 p.m., the number of active cases in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha was reported as 109 — an increase of six since Tuesday. Meanwhile, the number of close contacts of positive cases being monitored by public health staff has risen dramatically and is now at 374, up 59 over the last three days. There are currently five active outbreaks.
While the province continues to see a gradual downward trend in the number of new cases, the Peterborough region is one of a handful that isn’t experiencing that and, in fact, is seeing an increase.
Socialization, says Dr. Salvaterra, continues to be the culprit.
“We do have cases who reported visits on Mother’s Day, for example, from family members who went on to become cases. Most transmission occurs before people even know they’re infected or feel ill. We also have a large number of our cases being infected because of their household members becomes a case. The vast majority of our cases are close contacts sharing accommodations.”
On the vaccination front, Dr. Salvaterra reported this week’s influx of Pfizer vaccine has resulted in more vaccinations, noting the Evinrude Centre clinic is now vaccinating in excess of 800 people daily, while PRHC is immunizing the highest-risk health care workers — “They had more than 4,000 appointments and they’re gone.”
“I wish we had more vaccine,” she said. “We’re getting more, but the reality is there’s still a wait. I am aware that people are frustrated waiting for appointments to open up. We have been mandated by the province to run family clinics in mid June for youths aged 12 to 17 and their parents. That might result in a little longer wait for others. I again ask for patience.”
As of late Thursday afternoon, 69,989 doses had been administered in the Peterborough region, just more than 64,000 of those to residents, while 4,852 people have received two doses and are considered fully vaccinated. Over 52 per cent of local residents have received their first dose.
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Area residents are directed to phone the provincial call centre at 1-833-943-3900 to book their COVID vaccination appointments when they are in the age group that has become eligible. The line is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days per week. Eligible residents can also book their appointments online by visiting ontario.ca/bookvaccine.
In addition, eligible residents who are waiting for their first dose of vaccine can apply to be on a vaccine standby list. Residents who sign up may be called if doses are leftover at the end of a mass vaccination clinic run by Peterborough Public Health.
The purpose of the standby list is to avoid wasting vaccine doses. This list fills and then closes temporarily, reopening as additional applicants are needed. Residents are encouraged to check the standby application list at the Peterborough Public Health website at www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca regularly for openings.
Also commenting during Friday’s briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien, Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, and Peterborough board of health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell.
This picnic table painted by Peterborough artist Kathryn Durst is one of 25 tables painted by 25 local artists as part of a Downtown Vibrancy Project in downtown Peterborough. The tables will be installed at various downtown businesses. Durst is known for illustrating Sir Paul McCartney's children's books and also painted the public art mural in the alleyway of the Commerce Building. (Photo: Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area / Facebook)
Downtown Peterborough is going to be a lot more colourful this summer, with 25 wooden picnic tables painted by 25 local artists installed at various locations in the downtown.
The painted picnic tables are part of the Downtown Vibrancy Project led by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA). The picnic table project was developed to hire local artists, help out businesses with patios by supplying extra furniture, and provide a self-guided art tour for the public throughout the summer.
The tables will be installed at downtown businesses including the Cork & Bean, Boardwalk Cafe, Chalk Therapy, Black Honey Cafe, Hanoi House, Black Horse Pub, Silver Bean Café, and the Peterborough Square courtyard.
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As part of its three-step reopening plan, the Ontario government is expected to allow outdoor dining again (with a maximum of four people per table) during the week of June 14th.
The painted picnic table project was supported with funding from Shorelines Casino, with local lumber business Kingdon Timber Mart supplying the tables and Deluxe Paint supplying the paint.
All picnic tables will be auctioned off at the end of the season with proceeds going to One City Peterborough.
This picnic table painted by Peterborough artist Brianna Gosselin is one of 25 tables painted by 25 local artists as part of a Downtown Vibrancy Project in downtown Peterborough. The tables will be installed at various downtown businesses. (Photo: Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area / Facebook)
Burleigh Falls is located on Highway 28 north of Peterborough. (Photo: Nash Gordon / CC BY-SA)
For the second year in a row, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has closed Crown land adjacent to Burleigh Falls to the public.
Located on Highway 28 around 30 kilometres north of Peterborough, the area was first closed to the public in July 2020 following a large increase in visitors, resulting in numerous complaints involving liquor consumption, parking violations, excessive noise, littering, outdoor urinating and defecating, and mischief.
That trend has continued over the past three weekends of May, according to a media release from Peterborough County OPP.
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“Police continue to receive complaints involving liquor consumption, parking violations, littering and COVID-19/social distancing violations,” the media release reads. “Health and safety concerns are being communicated as public washrooms and hand-washing stations are not available.”
The MNRF has declared the area unsafe and it will be closed to the public until further notice, with Peterborough County OPP and Selwyn Township supporting the decision.
Both the MNRF and Peterborough County OPP will be enforcing the closure. Police say they will tow vehicles and issue provincial offence notices to those found in contravention of the closure.
Scenic vistas like this one make Burleigh Falls a popular destination for visitors. (Photo: Peter K Burian / CC BY-SA)
Dr. Dirk Huyer, coordinator of the provincial outbreak response, and Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, announced during a virtual media briefing on May 21, 2021 that Ontarians who received their first dose of AstraZeneca between March 10 and 19 can now receive their second dose. (CPAC screenshot)
Ontario will proceed to administer second doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, beginning with those who received their first dose between March 10 and 19 — when the AstraZeneca vaccine first became available in the province.
“Nothing is more important than the health of Ontarians, and for the best protection against COVID-19 it is vital that everyone who received the AstraZeneca vaccine for their first dose receives a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, during a virtual media briefing on Friday (May 21) with Dr. Dirk Huyer, coordinator of the provincial outbreak response.
Beginning the week of May 24, for a limited time, people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca from March 10 and 19 can contact the pharmacy or primary care provider where they received their first dose and book an appointment for their second dose.
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The province announced on May 11 it was pausing the administration of first doses of AstraZeneca, because of an observed increase in Ontario of an adverse reaction known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). The risk of VITT in Ontario was observed to be 1 in every 60,000 people vaccinated rather than the previously observed rate of 1 in every 100,000 vaccinated.
While the pause on first doses is still in effect while the province’s health experts review data on the VITT risk for first doses, Dr. Williams said data from the UK suggests the risk of VITT in people receiving their second dose of AstraZeneca is one in 600,000 — higher than the previously observed rate of one in one million but still relatively rare.
The only people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca from March 10 and 19 were Ontarians aged 60 to 64 who booked an appointment at one of 325 pharmacies in Toronto, Windsor-Essex, and Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, or were contacted by primary care providers in Hamilton, Toronto, Guelph, Peterborough, Simcoe-Muskoka, and Peel.
People vaccinated during this period who consent to receive the second dose, will be receiving it at 10 to 11 weeks instead of the original interval of 16 weeks. The original clinical data for the AstraZeneca vaccine indicates the second dose should be administered no later than 12 weeks after the first dose, and studies from the UK and other jurisdictions have shown the highest efficacy of the vaccine occurs when the second dose is administered at 12 weeks.
“We are providing these individuals with a safe option based on the available data and evidence and will continue to work with Health Canada to monitor the quality and efficacy of all COVID-19 vaccines being used in Ontario,” Dr. Williams said.
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Ontario has 55,000 doses of AstraZeneca that will expire by May 31. Dr. Huyer said more than 55,000 people received their first dose between March 10 and 19, so not everyone who received their first dose during this period will be able to get a second dose.
Dr. Williams said people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca after March 19, as well as for those who received it between March 10 and 19 but do not get a vaccine appointment during the week of May 24, will be able to receive their second doses within the now-recommended interval of 12 weeks.
The provincial government is working with primary care providers and pharmacies to ensure second dose appointments are scheduled in advance of the 12-week interval, and will provide further information in the near future on how people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca can book a second dose appointment.
As for the possibility of people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca receiving a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna instead, Dr. Williams said the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is currently not recommending vaccines of different types (e.g., mRNA vaccine and viral vector vaccine) be mixed, since the efficacy of mixing vaccine types is not yet known.
That may change next month however, as Dr. Williams said NACI is reviewing evidence from a clinical trial in the UK evaluating the administration of two doses of different vaccines and expects NACI will be making a recommendation in June.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
After 2 straight days of cases under 2,000, Ontario is reporting 2,400 new cases today, with 5 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting triple-digit case increases. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 2,131 and the proportion of active cases has fallen for the 31st straight day.
Hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and patients on ventilators continue to decline. Ontario is reporting 27 new deaths, including 1 in a long-term care home. A record number of 16,975 Ontarians have received their second dose of vaccine.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 31 new cases to report (including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 5 in Peterborough, 4 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 3 in Northumberland) with an additional 23 cases resolved. There have been 2 new COVID-related deaths in the region, the 17th death in Northumberland and the 11th death in Hastings Prince Edward.
The net number of active cases across the region has risen by 6 to 260, with a large increase in active cases in Kawartha Lakes and an equally large decrease in Peterborough. See below for details for each health unit in the region.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (607), Peel (528), Hamilton (224), York (181), and Durham (110).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Ottawa (92), Middlesex-London (89), Waterloo (78), Simcoe Muskoka (70), Halton (69), Niagara (68), Windsor-Essex (55), Porcupine (35), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (29), Peterborough (19), Eastern Ontario (18), Brant (17), Lambton (15), Grey Bruce (14), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (11), and Southwestern (11), with smaller increases in Haldimand-Norfolk (9), Algoma (8), Thunder Bay (7), Hastings Prince Edward (7), and Huron Perth (6).
The remaining 9 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with all health units reporting at least 1 case.
Of today’s new cases, 62% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (981) among people ages 20-39 followed by 628 cases among people ages 40-59 and 494 cases among people 19 and under.
With 2,763 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to at 93.9% — the 31st straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario remains unchanged at 5.2%, meaning that 52 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on May 19.
Ontario is reporting 27 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 1 new death in a long-term care home. Ontario has averaged 21 new daily deaths over the past week, a decrease of 1 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have decreased by 81 to 1,320, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs declining by 14 to 721 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators falling by 46 to 493.
A total of 45,406 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 5,449 to 20,642.
A total of 7,576,624 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 144,986 from yesterday, and 473,759 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, a record increase of 16,975 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 3.22% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.12% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 51.43% of the total population, an increase of 0.98% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 31 new cases to report, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 5 in Peterborough, 4 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 3 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There are 2 new COVID-19 deaths in the region, including 1 in Northumberland (the county’s 17th death) and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward (the region’s 11th death). There is 1 new ICU admission in Peterborough and 1 new patient on a ventilator in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are 31 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 15 in Peterborough, 10 in Kawartha Lakes, 5 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Northumberland.
An additional 23 cases have been resolved, including 17 in Peterborough, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Haliburton, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. An outbreak at Staples and Swain Law Office in Lindsay has been declared resolved.
There are currently 260 in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 6 from yesterday, including 109 in Peterborough, 56 in Hastings Prince Edward (13 in Quinte West, 17 in Belleville, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 4 in Prince Edward County, 17 in Central Hastings, and 3 in North Hastings), 59 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,428 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,301 resolved with 18 deaths), 858 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (756 resolved with 56 deaths), 888 in Northumberland County (840 resolved with 17 deaths), 118 in Haliburton County (112 resolved with 1 death), and 1,085 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,018 resolved with 11 deaths). The two most recent deaths were reported in Northumberland and Hastings Prince Edward on May 20.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,428 (increase of 5) Total variants of concern cases: 620 (increase of 15) Active cases: 109 (decrease of 12) Close contacts: 374 (increase of 1) Deaths: 18 (no change) Resolved: 1,301 (increase of 17) Hospitalizations (total to date): 63 (no change)* ICU admissions (total to date): 14 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: Over 51,700 (increase of 100) Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 69,989 (increase of 3,944 as of May 20) Number of residents who have received first dose: 64,199 (increase of 3,675 as of May 20) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 4,852 (increase of 277 as of May 20) Outbreaks: Unidentified congregate living facility #3 in the City of Peterborough, Helping Hands Day Care in Peterborough County, Unidentified workplace #9 in Peterborough County, Unidentified workplace #10 in Peterborough County, Peterborough Day Care Centre in the City of Peterborough (no change)
*As of May 20, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 7 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1) and a total of 75 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,864, including 858 in Kawartha Lakes, 888 in Northumberland, and 118 in Haliburton (increase of 22, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)* Total variants of concern cases: 556, including 232 in Kawartha Lakes, 291 in Northumberland, and 33 in Haliburton (increase of 11, including 10 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland) Active cases: 95, including 59 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net increase of 16) Probable cases: None (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 70, including 36 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 74, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Northumberland) Resolved: 1,708, including 756 in Kawartha Lakes, 840 in Northumberland, and 112 in Haliburton (increase of 5, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 189,848 (increase of 433) Vaccine doses administered to residents: 85,785 (increase of 6,353 as of May 17) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 4,877 (increase of 415 as of May 17) Outbreaks: OPP Offender Transport Lindsay, Dairy Queen in Lindsay, Unit 5 and kitchen at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Campbellford Farm Supply LTD (decrease of 1)***
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**As of May 20, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 4 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
***An outbreak at Staples and Swain Law Office in Lindsay has been declared resolved.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,085 (increase of 4) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 445 (increase of 5) Active cases: 56 (increase of 2) Deaths: 11 (increase of 1) Currently hospitalized: 15 (decrease of 1) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 6 (increase of 1) Resolved: 1,018 (increase of 1) Tests completed: 139,871 (increase of 6) Vaccine doses administered: 79,553 (increase of 1,629) Number of people fully vaccinated: 6,310 (increase of 85) Outbreaks: Quinte 5 at QHC Belleville General Hospital, Unidentified child care facility in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Central Hastings, Community outbreak in Hastings Highlands in North Hastings (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 517,090 (increase of 2,400) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 114,569 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 1,810); 684 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 1); 2,089 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 30) VOC R(t): 0.84 (decrease of 0.03 as May 14)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 2,131 (decrease of 52) Positivity rate: 5.2% (no change) Resolved: 485,512 (increase of 2,763), 93.9% of all cases (increase of 0.1%) Hospitalizations: 1,320 (decrease of 81) Hospitalizations in ICU: 721 (decrease of 14) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 493 (decrease of 46) Deaths: 8,552 (increase of 27) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 21 (decrease of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,944 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 14,901,787 (increase of 45,406) Tests under investigation: 20,642 (decrease of 5,449) Vaccination doses administered: 7,576,624 (increase of 144,986), 51.43% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.98%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 473,759 (increase of 16,975), 3.22% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.12%)**
*R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
**An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from April 19 – May 19, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from April 19 – May 19, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from April 19 – May 19, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day rolling average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from April 19 – May 19, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from April 19 – May 19, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
Ontario golfers will be able to hit the links the Victoria Day long weekend, with the Ontario government announcing a three-step “roadmap” for reopening the province.
The three-step plan is scheduled to begin the week of June 14th, but the government will allow some outdoor recreational amenities to reopen this Saturday (May 22).
These include golf courses and driving ranges, soccer and other sports fields, tennis and basketball courts, and skate parks, with outdoor gathering limits expanded to five people, including members from different households. No outdoor sports or recreational classes are permitted.
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“Today we’re seeing increasingly positive trends in key public health indicators,” Premier Doug Ford said at a media conference at Queen’s Park on Thursday afternoon (May 20). “As a result, we are now in a position to look at a slow and measured reopening of the province.”
The three-step reopening plan, which is based on hitting vaccination targets and key public health and health care indicators, will replace the previous colour-coded framework.
Step one of the plan will include resuming outdoor activities with smaller crowds, where the risk of virus transmission is lower, along with permitting non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity. The limit on outdoor gatherings will increase to a maximum of 10 people, and outdoor dining would be allowed with a maximum of four people per table. Outdoor recreational amenities and activities, including pools, splash pads, fitness classes, zoos, and religious services will be allowed to resume.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the province’s three-step reopening plan at a media conference at Queen’s Park on May 20, 2021. Along with the plan, Ford announced some recreational amenities would be allowed to reopen for the Victoria Day long weekend. (CPAC screenshot)
Step two would further expand outdoor activities and resume limited indoor services with small numbers of people wearing face coverings. The limit on outdoor gatherings would increase to a maximum of 25 people and outdoor sports and leagues would be allowed to resume. Non-essential retail would be expanded to 25 per cent capacity. Public libraries and personal care services where face coverings can be worn would be allowed to reopen, with capacity limits, and indoor religious services can resume at 15 per cent capacity.
Step three would expand access to indoor settings with restrictions, including where there are larger numbers of people and where face coverings cannot always be worn. This includes gyms, cinemas, performing arts facilities, museums and art galleries, casinos and bingo halls, and indoor dining, all with capacity limits.
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Each step is linked to provincial vaccination rates, with at least 60 per cent of adults having received one dose for step one, 70 per cent of adults having received one dose and 20 per cent fully vaccinated with two doses for step two, and 70 to 80 per cent of adults having received one dose and 25 per cent fully vaccinated with two doses for step three.
Ontario would remains in each step for at least three weeks, to allow the province to evaluate the impact on public health indicators and decide whether to proceed to the next step.
The province expects to begin step one the week of June 14th, but will confirm closer to that date. Assuming that each vaccination target is met and public health indicators are favourable, step two would begin the week of July 5th and step three would begin the week of July 26th.
In the interim, the stay-at-home order will expire on June 2 but all other public health measures will remain in effect.
Absent from the announcement was a decision on whether or when students will return to in-person classes before the end of the school year.
“We have some different opinions,” Premier Ford said in response to a reporter’s question. “Dr. Williams is in favour of reopening the schools. We have a few doctors on the science table that aren’t in favour. Then we have the teachers that want to put an injunction in if we move forward. We just have to get around the table and make sure we have agreement on this.”
Ford added that he is concerned by modelling projections released today that show cases could increase by 11 per cent if schools are reopened.
“That’s concerning to me, when it increases 11 per cent, because it compounds so quickly,” Ford said. “We can’t afford an increase of 11 per cent right now.”
Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, speaking at a media conference at Queen's Park with Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams on May 20, 2021. (CPAC screenshot)
With the current stay-at-home order expiring on June 2, Ontario’s top health experts are recommending delaying a partial reopening in the province for an additional two weeks, until June 16.
Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, and Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, provided an update on Ontario’s COVID-19 modelling data during a media conference at Queen’s Park on Thursday afternoon (May 20).
“The direction of the pandemic has turned and, if we’re careful and cautious, we can maintain this momentum — and this momentum is what gets us to a good summer,” Brown said. “The number of cases and hospitalization are falling. That is good news, but we need to temper this good news with the knowledge that our hospitals are still under incredible strain.”
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Brown added that, while hospitalizations are decreasing, the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has just dropped below the peak of the second wave.
“We still have a very high number of patients with COVID-19 in our intensive care units, and a higher proportion of these patients remain on life support,” he said.
While Brown said control of the pandemic, especially in hot spots, is improving due to public health measures, vaccinations, and the efforts of Ontarians, “We’re nowhere near yet the case counts in countries like the United Kingdom.”
The province’s top health and science experts are recommending outdoor activities be allowed in Ontario. (Graphic: Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table)
Brown said the models suggest a partial reopening of the province on June 2 will lead to a rise in cases that will only subside later in the summer. Delaying the reopening until the middle of June will bring cases down to a very low level, with a consistent downward trend throughout the summer.
“Opening schools on the 2nd, and nothing else, takes us somewhere between these options,” Brown added, with modelling suggesting the case increase from reopening schools “may be manageable”.
Brown said partial reopening includes the reopening of retail, schools, and outdoor amenities — similar to the situation in March before the current stay-at-home order went into effect.
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In either scenario, Brown said outdoor activities are much safer than indoor activities and should be encouraged. People only need to wear masks during outdoor activities if they can’t maintain two metres of distance (for example, when playing basketball).
However, people engaging in outdoor activities should avoid socializing with others afterwards (such as by dining together or sharing food), going to crowded outdoor places, carpooling together, travelling between regions, sharing overnight accommodation with others, or using locker rooms, clubhouses, or shared amenities.
Premier Doug Ford is scheduled to make an announcement at Queen’s Park at 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
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