COVID-19 in Sudbury & districts: Your weekly update December 16, 2021

Reporting period: Thursday, December 9, 2021, to Wednesday, December 15, 2021.

December 16, 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 December 15, 2021: 230 new cases were reported and 303 cases were resolved. (Note: Due to recent changes in laboratory practices, Public Health will no longer be reporting on the variant of concern (VOC) profiles of cases.) Nineteen (19) COVID-19 outbreaks were active this week, including 6 in schools or on school buses, 9 in workplaces, 2 in community settings (a sports team and a public park), and 1 each in a long-term care home and a daycare. Five (5) outbreaks were declared over in the past 7 days, 4 in workplaces and 1 in a community setting. There were 3 COVID-related deaths. At end of day December 15, 2021, there were 290 active cases in our service area and 13 active outbreaks. There were 8 local cases in hospital, while the rest were self-isolating.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a total of 4 442 local cases of which 4 152 are resolved. Sadly, 46 people have died in our service area.

Of the 2 310 local cases of COVID-19 reported since June 1, 2021, 750 cases have been among fully vaccinated individuals. There have been 1 560 cases in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents (those having received one-dose only). During that same period, there have been 76 local hospitalizations of which 53 cases (70%) were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Twenty-three (23) hospitalized cases (30%) were fully vaccinated. Interpreting vaccine status data: please note that data on case counts by vaccination status are preliminary—and highly subject to change. Comparing cumulative numbers from week to week may lead to incorrect estimates of case counts by vaccination status for the previous 7 days.

Based on local data from the last 14 days, the risk of contracting COVID-19 for unvaccinated residents of Sudbury and districts was 4.9 times the risk for fully vaccinated residents. Additionally, provincial data from October 21 to November 19 indicate that the risk of an unvaccinated individual being hospitalized due to COVID-19 was 6.9 times that of a fully vaccinated person. Further, their risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) was 12 times that of a fully vaccinated person, and their risk of death from COVID-19 was 4.5 times that of a fully vaccinated person.

Recent Trends

• In the past 28 days, the overall incidence rate of COVID-19 in our area was 513.5 new cases per 100 000 population. Residents 19 years of age and younger had the highest rate at 1 069.2 new cases per 100 000 population. The rates among those aged 30 to 39 (548.0 per 100000), and 40 to 49 (541.7 per 100 000) were also higher than the overall rate in our area. Rates among all other age groups were lower than the overall rate.
• The local incidence rate in the past 7 days was 115.6 new cases per 100 000 population, compared to 163.4 cases per 100 000 in the previous 7 days.
• Of the 230 new cases in our service area in the past week, 87 were a close contact of confirmed case and 18 were associated with an outbreak. 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. Thirty-two (32) had no known epidemiological link. Two (2) cases were travel related. Ninety-one (91) cases remained under investigation
• Of the 230 cases reported this week, 135 reside in Greater Sudbury while 63 reside in Manitoulin district, 29 in Sudbury West, and 3 in Sudbury East. (Note: for information on the definition of these geographic regions, please refer to the daily COVID-19 case update at phsd.ca/COVID-19/data)
• The percent positivity was 6.9% for the period of December 8 to December 14, compared to 5.5% for the previous 7 days.
• For the period of December 1 to December 7, the effective reproductive number (Rt) was 0.79 for Sudbury and districts, 0.90 for Northern Ontario, and 1.27 for Ontario overall.

Vaccination Program Update

• To date, a total of 344 571 doses of COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered among residents in Sudbury and districts. Thus far, 166 161 people have received their first dose of vaccine and 156 115 people have been fully vaccinated (with two doses). A total of 22 295 people have received a third dose (current as of 4 p.m., December 15, 2021), which is 13.2% of residents aged 18 and over. Note, this includes vaccines administered by Public Health, First Nation and Indigenous communities, primary care, pharmacies, and external authorities.
• Over the last 7 days up to end of day Wednesday, December 15, 2021, a total of 8 683 vaccine doses were administered.
• Overall, 88.9% of Sudbury and districts residents aged 12 and over have received their first dose of a vaccine, compared to 90.3% for all Ontario residents aged 12 and over.
• Second doses have been received by 86.0% of those aged 12 and over in Sudbury and districts compared to 87.7% for all Ontario residents aged 12 and over.
• Overall, 84.7% of Sudbury and districts residents aged 5 and over have received their first dose, compared to 85.9% for all Ontario residents aged 5 and over.
• Second doses have been received by 79.6% of those aged 5 and over in Sudbury and districts compared to 80.9% for all Ontario residents aged 5 and over.
• 81.0% of the total population of Sudbury and districts have received their first dose and 76.1% have been fully immunized. This means that there are over 49 000 residents who are not currently fully immunized.
• The following is a depiction of vaccinations received by age for individuals 12 and over in Sudbury and districts.

Stay COVID-safe

• With the Omicron variant rapidly becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Ontario, it is highly recommended to get your booster (third) dose as soon as possible if you are eligible. It remains important for everyone else to get your first or second dose if you have not already. Visit phsd.ca/COVID-19/vaccine-clinics to book a vaccination appointment as soon as possible.
• High and growing COVID-19 case rates mean that additional protective measures are required in our region. There are also strong recommendations from the Medical Officer of Health in place to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Continue to follow Public Health’s additional protective measures, as set out in the legally enforceable Instructions. They are to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and ensure we are as prepared as possible for the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Learn more about the additional protective measures by vising https://www.phsd.ca/health-topics-programs/diseases-infections/coronavirus/closures-orders-and-enforcement-covid-19/letters-of-instruction/
• Remember that the federal government is recommending that Canadians avoid non-essential international travel at this time. If you are travelling outside of Canada for essential reasons, make sure to practise public health measures and visit our Guidance for Travellers (COVID-19) page for more information about travelling https://www.phsd.ca/health-topics-programs/diseases-infections/coronavirus/travel-information-covid-19/
• This year, we have faced many new challenges that can lead to feeling stress and anxiety. This is normal. If you or someone you know is struggling, reach out to loved ones for support and know that there are several resources that can help.

What’s new

• The Ontario government is rapidly accelerating its booster dose rollout by expanding eligibility to all individuals aged 18 and over, as well as shortening the interval to three months following an individual’s second dose. Starting Monday, December 20, individuals aged 18 and over will be eligible to schedule their booster dose appointment. For more information, read the news release (Ontario Government).
• To support the urgent rollout of booster doses, Public Health has redeployed any of its remaining staff resources to quickly increase local capacity and vaccination appointments. For more information, read the news release available on phsd.ca.
• The Ontario government announced yesterday that the province intends to introduce a 50 per cent capacity limit to certain indoor venues with a usual capacity of 1000 or more, effective December 18, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. Businesses in Public Health’s service area are already compliant under the current Letter of Instruction. Therefore, no further change is currently required within the Public Health service area.
• Given the urgency, Public Health is quickly increasing its capacity to vaccinate, and walk-ins (vaccine supplies permitting) are now welcome at mass immunization clinics. In addition, those 50 years of age and older or who are otherwise eligible, and who have received their second dose at least 3 months ago may walk-in to a mass immunization clinic for their dose. Note, individuals attending as walk-ins should expect to have to wait in line.

Message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health

Our area continues to see a large surge of cases due to the Delta variant, and with the threat of the Omicron variant we are in a very precarious situation. Data from the province shows that Omicron will quickly become the dominant variant, if not already, and we know that it spreads very quickly. Further increases in cases will stretch public health resources and stress our health care system capacity. The Ontario Government announced that starting on Monday, December 20, individuals aged 18 and over will be eligible to schedule their booster dose appointment. This is great news and as announced earlier this week, Public Health Sudbury & Districts is redeploying most of its remaining staff resources to quickly ramp up local capacity. This week we have already added over 4400 vaccine appointments and are continuing to add more. While every effort is being made to offer booster doses locally, we will not be able to vaccinate the well over 100 000 residents who will be eligible in a matter of weeks. Protecting those who are most at risk, such as individuals with underlying health conditions, health care workers and their families, individuals who live or work in congregate settings, and those over the age of 50 will be the priority. It is also critically important to continue to follow all public health measures in place, including the enhanced measures in our area, in order to buy us more time to protect people with the booster dose. Despite vaccination efforts, strong, additional, public health measures may be needed to manage Omicron. It is anticipated that the ways in which Public Health follows up with cases and contacts will change in the near future, pending further provincial guidance, as we do everything possible to prepare for the Omicron variant and a potential surge in cases.

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.  A detailed epidemiology summary is posted on Tuesday that includes information about cases over time, case characteristics, probable exposures, case outcomes, testing, and outbreaks in facilities. In addition, a detailed vaccination report is produced on Tuesdays that includes information about vaccine administration over time, by regions, by brand, by dose, and by age groups. The report also provides additional context by comparing our data to Ontario.

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).