By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
It’s often said things can change quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but sometimes the change is for the better.
Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit Medical Officer of Health Dr. Natalie Bocking brought the good news while sharing the latest epidemiology at this week’s media scrum, saying that the 85 cases currently considered active throughout the region compare favourably to the 180 active cases she reported last week.
The seven-day per-100,000-population rate had fallen from last week as well, to 47 from a figure in the 80s.
“I think we are quite pleased to see those numbers coming down,” Dr. Bocking said, adding a caveat.
“They are still higher than what we were seeing a couple of months ago. If were not in a province-wide lockdown, with those numbers, we would still be in the red zone.”
The test positivity rate of 3.3% is lower than the provincial rate, but higher than it could be.
The jurisdiction has only three outbreaks at this time, and all the school-based ones have been declared over – at least in part because schools have gone to virtual learning following a spring break early in the month.
The highest age group getting the virus is the under-20 population, which account for 24% of new cases. The next-highest age group is 50-59.
The most likely route of exposure is household contact at 37%, while 21% of new cases identify the source as a close contact. About 32% cannot identify the source of their infection, indicating a broad community-transmission rate.
“Within the last 14 days, five people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 – residents having an address within the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge jurisdiction admitted to hospital because of COVID-19. They might be admitted within the jurisdiction, but they are a resident and acquired COVID-19 within this area,” Dr. Bocking said
“We have no numbers on transfers to hospitals from outside the area. The critical-care systems in the hospitals are following that information closely.”
As of Monday, 52,031 doses of vaccine have been administered in the HKPR jurisdiction, whether at mass-immunization clinics, pharmacies or primary-care practices. At the same time, 64,953 residents of the jurisdiction have at least one shot, which reflects the number of residents being inoculated elsewhere.
Of the population aged 80 and older, 75% have at least one shot. Of those aged 60 and older, it’s 66.8%.
“I think that’s quite a promising statistic,” she said.
“There have been some challenges related to vaccine supply but, when we look at those numbers, I think our roll-out has been quite good. We make the provincial average, if not doing a little better.”
The roll-out locally is based on provincial criteria – both the age-based criteria of 60 and up and the risk criteria for those whose occupations potentially put them at higher risk of exposure.
This week, five of the six mass-immunization clinics (all save the one in Lindsay that is administered by Ross Memorial Hospital) have taken a pause in order that the health unit can partner with EMS services in all three regions to form mobile teams to vaccinate the vulnerable at home – those who can’t get to a mass-immunization clinic, for example.
These people will get Moderna vaccine, while those who attend mass-immunization clinics get Pfizer.
Astra Zeneca is available through 22 pharmacies and seven primary-care teams throughout the region.
Johnson & Johnson should soon arrive in the province. It’s one-dose format makes it advisable for those who (for whatever reason) would have trouble being available for two doses, but specifics on how it will be allocated have yet to be announced.
Starting soon, available vaccine doses will begin to inch upward.
“I think this is what we have been waiting to hear,” she said.
It has been a struggle. The 5,800 weekly doses of Pfizer dwindled to the 3,500 received this week. Over the next two weeks, it should increase to 4,700. And after that, it will almost double.
Though anyone going on-line to make an appointment won’t see any spots available from an HKPR clinic, she said, that should change soon.
“In general, we are spending quite a lot of time talking about vaccines, which is a really important discussion point. It’s our long-term strategy to be able to change the trajectory of this pandemic. But among the things we need to be doing right now are those basic public-health measures,” she said, reviewing the main ones – staying home from all but essential outings, wearing a mask, sanitizing hands, covering coughs.
“Those things I know people are tired of hearing,” she admitted, “but what ultimately will make the biggest difference right now.”
And these measures are still recommended for those who have received their first shot – at least until that point in time when enough people are fully vaccinated that there’s not such a terrible risk of infections and hospitalizations.
So many people getting a first shot feel a wonderful sense of relief, she said.
“I’m here to remind you, life doesn’t actually change in terms of the public-health measures you should be practising. There’s still a Stay-At-Home Order. You still wear a mask. It still means not being able to see in close proximity your family members as of yet.
“But it’s a huge step in the right direction to move everybody closer to that point where we can start to change some of the public-health measures.
“Even after that second dose, it will take some time before recommendations around public-health measures are changed, until we reach a point where enough people are vaccinated.”
