COVID-19 in Sudbury & districts: Your weekly update April 22, 2021

Reporting period: Thursday, April 15, 2021, to Wednesday, April 21, 2021.

April 22, 2021 — The following is a summary of how the status of COVID-19 has changed in Public Health Sudbury & Districts’ service area over the last seven days up to end of day April 21, 2021: 95 new cases, and 161 cases were resolved. There were no COVID-related deaths. Fifty-five (55) new cases screened positive for a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC), which is 58% of the cases reported in this period. Twelve (12) outbreaks were active in the past week, including 6 in local workplaces, 2 in long-term care homes, 2 in daycares, 1 in a hospital, and 1 in a community congregate setting. Four (4) outbreaks were declared over in the past 7 days, 1 each in a hospital, a long-term care home, a daycare and a community congregate setting. At end of day April 21, 2021, there were 149 active cases in our service area, and 8 active outbreaks. Nineteen (19) cases were hospitalized, while the rest were self-isolating.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a total of 1 868 local cases of which 1 719 are resolved, and 25 people have died in our service area. Six-hundred and seventy-one (671) have screened positive for a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC).

Trends in the past seven days

• Of the 95 new cases in our service area, 13 were associated with an outbreak, while 67 were close contacts of confirmed cases. This means that Public Health identified how these people were exposed to COVID-19 and was able to take quick action to prevent further spread. Six (6) case was travel-related, while the source of exposure was unknown for 8 cases. One (1) case remained under investigation.
• Eighty-five (85) cases reside in Greater Sudbury, while 9 reside in the Sudbury District. There were no cases among residents of Manitoulin District in the past 7 days.
• Contact tracing information was available for all cases reported from April 11 to April 17. Through our investigation, we identified 337 people who had high-risk close contacts with these cases. That is an average of 4 high-risk close contacts per case, compared to 2 contacts per case in the previous 7 days. Public Health follows up directly and regularly with every high-risk close contact to monitor them for symptoms, ensure they are self-isolating, and make recommendations for testing according to provincial guidance.
• The seven-day incidence rate was 47.8 new cases per 100 000 population (compared to 87.0 for the previous 7 days).
• The percent positivity was 2.28% for the period of April 13 to April 19 (compared to 3.59% for the previous 7 days).
• For the period of April 14 to April 20, the effective reproductive number (Rt) was 0.8 for Northern Ontario, and 1.0 for Ontario overall.

Vaccination Program Update

• To date, the COVID-19 Vaccination Program has administered a total of 68 774 doses to residents in Sudbury and districts. Thus far, 61 599 people have received their first dose of vaccine, and 7 175 people have been fully vaccinated (current as of 4 p.m. April 21, 2021).
• Over the last seven days up to end of day April 21, 2021, a total of 8 481 vaccine doses have been administered.
• The overall dose per capita ratio is 34.5% for Sudbury and districts, compared to 28.6% for Ontario.
• The following is a depiction of vaccinations received by age for adults 60+ in Sudbury and districts.

Stay COVID-safe

• All workers must wear appropriate personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wondering about the specific requirements for your workplace? Check out the sector specific guidance (Government on Ontario) from the province.
• Practising physical distancing helps slow the spread of COVID-19. Keep two metres of physical distance from those you do not live with and stick with members of your household for indoor activities. Everyone should continue to follow public health measures.
• Virtual learning requires focus, planning, and self-motivation. Expressing caring relationships and kind words helps students develop skills that will serve a lifetime. Share words of encouragement and praise the hard work of your virtual learners to support brain development.

What’s new

• On April 16, The Ontario government announced that it was strengthening enforcement of the province’s Stay-at-Home order while imposing new travel restrictions and further strengthening public health measures. The full news release can be found here: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/61192/ontario-strengthens-enforcement-of-stay-at-home-order.
• As of April 20, individuals 40 years and older can book for appointments at pharmacies and at select primary care settings to receive the Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Visit Ontario.ca for more information regarding eligibility and to book your appointment.

Message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health

While we continue to be in the third wave of COVID-19, our case count locally is beginning to show signs that it is moving in the right direction. It is still too early to tell if this positive trend will continue, but I am encouraged by it. I understand the COVID fatigue that people are feeling right now. Public Health is feeling the strain of the pandemic too but continues to work tirelessly to protect our communities. We have a great opportunity in front of us to lower our case count, so please continue to follow public health measures, which include distancing, masking, and only gathering with people from your household. Simply put, we must stay away from each other’s breath. As the province continues to expand the rollout of the vaccine and more options become available, I encourage everyone who is eligible to receive the vaccine to book their appointment. The vaccine alone will not get us out of this wave, but it is critical to our future success in controlling the spread of the virus.

Regular updates

Visit phsd.ca/COVID-19/data for regular updates about COVID-19 testing, confirmed cases, as well as outbreaks and potential exposures in Greater Sudbury, the Sudbury District, and the Manitoulin District. In addition, a detailed epidemiology summary is posted Mondays and Thursdays that includes information about cases over time, case characteristics, probable exposures, case outcomes, testing, and outbreaks in facilities.

For more information or if you have questions, please visit phsd.ca/COVID-19 or call Public Health Sudbury & Districts at 705.522.9200 (toll-free 1.866.522.9200).