COVID-19 in Sudbury & districts: Your weekly update January 6, 2022

Reporting period: Thursday, December 30, 2021, to Wednesday, January 5, 2022.

January 6, 2022 — 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 January 5, 2021.  Please note that confirmed cases are an underestimate of the true number of people with COVID-19, given that access to PCR testing is increasingly limited, positive rapid antigen test results are not reported to Public Health, and the likelihood that people with asymptomatic infections may not seek testing.

In the past 7 days, 1 093 new cases were reported and 548 cases were resolved. Note that routine screening for variants of concern (VOC) was discontinued by the province on December 30.  However, it is likely that a large majority of the cases reported this week are the Omicron variant. Thirteen (13) COVID-19 outbreaks were active this week, including 5 in long-term care homes, 3 in schools or on school buses, 2 in congregate living settings and 1 each in a hospital, a retirement home and a community setting (public park).  Five (5) outbreaks were declared over in the past 7 days, 3 in schools, 1 in a long-term care home and 1 in a community setting (public park). There was 1 COVID-related death. At end of day January 5, 2022, there were 1 183 active cases in our service area and 8 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 6 638 local cases of which 5 185 are resolved. Sadly, 48 people have died in our service area.

Of the 2 516 local cases of COVID-19 reported since December 1, 2021, 1 590 cases have been among fully vaccinated individuals. There have been 926 cases in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents (those having received one-dose only). During that same period, there have been 30 local hospitalizations of which 17 cases were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Thirteen (13) hospitalized cases 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, provincial data indicate that the risk of an unvaccinated individual currently being in hospital due to COVID-19 was 2.1 times that of a fully vaccinated person. Further, their risk of currently being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) was 5.8 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 1 052.8 new cases per 100 000 population. Residents 20 to 29 years of age had the highest rate at 1 719.5 new cases per 100 000 population. The rates among those aged 30 to 39 (1 461.3 per 100 000), 19 years of age and younger (1 293.8 per 100 000) and 40 to 49 (1 216.8 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 549.6 new cases per 100 000 population, compared to 297.5 cases per 100 000 in the previous 7 days.
• Due to the recent surge in local cases and changes to internal processes by which data on those cases are analysed and reported, epidemiologic linkages are not yet reportable for a large majority (83%) of the 1 093 cases reported in the past 7 days.
• Of the 1 093 cases reported this week, 956 reside in Greater Sudbury while 45 reside in Manitoulin district, 27 in Sudbury North, 47 in Sudbury West, and 18 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 17.0% for the period of December 28 to January 3, compared to 13.2% for the previous 7 days.
• For the period of December 23 to December 29, the effective reproductive number (Rt) was 1.51 for Sudbury and districts and 1.29 for Ontario overall.

Vaccination Program Update

• To date, a total of 390 129 doses of COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered among residents in Sudbury and districts. Thus far, 169 221 people have received their first dose of vaccine and 157 595 people have been fully vaccinated (with two doses). A total of 63 313 people have received a third dose (current as of 4 p.m., January 5, 2022), including 37.4% 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, January 5, 2022, a total of 10 769 vaccine doses were administered.
• Overall, 89.7% of Sudbury and districts residents aged 12 and over have received their first dose of a vaccine, compared to 90.9% for all Ontario residents aged 12 and over.
• Second doses have been received by 86.8% of those aged 12 and over in Sudbury and districts compared to 88.2% for all Ontario residents aged 12 and over.
• Overall, 86.3% of Sudbury and districts residents aged 5 and over have received their first dose, compared to 87.3% for all Ontario residents aged 5 and over.
• Second doses have been received by 80.4% of those aged 5 and over in Sudbury and districts compared to 81.6% for all Ontario residents aged 5 and over.
• 82.4% of the total population of Sudbury and districts have received their first dose and 76.8% have been fully immunized. This means that there are over 47 000 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

• If you, or someone in your household, have symptoms of COVID-19 (Government of Ontario), assume that you have the virus and that you may be contagious. Please stay home. With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, right now it is likely that symptoms mean a COVID-19 infection. Provincial direction is that individuals with symptoms and anyone in the same household must isolate (Government of Ontario, PDF). If you are fully vaccinated and otherwise healthy or are under 12 years of age, the isolation period is a minimum of 5 days. If you are not fully vaccinated or are immunocompromised, the isolation period is 10 days. At this time, to protect our most vulnerable, PCR testing for COVID-19 is only available to select individuals (Government of Ontario).
• With the highly contagious Omicron variant now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Ontario, it is highly recommended you get your booster (third) dose as soon as you are eligible. A reminder that the COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 years of age is recommended to protect children and our communities. Visit phsd.ca/COVID-19/vaccine-clinics to learn more about vaccination opportunities.
• The COVID-19 situation can be very stressful. It is important to take care of our mental health during challenging times like these. Sometimes this means being brave and reaching out for additional help. For resources, view the Government of Ontario mental health, wellness and addictions supports.

What’s new

• The Ontario government announced the province’s return to the modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen as of Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators. As part of the province’s response to the Omicron variant, students returned to remote learning as of January 5. For more information, read the news release on news.ontario.ca.
• Due to the current shortage of Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine, effective immediately, the Moderna Spikevax vaccine will be administered to those aged 30 and over. Due to complications found in those aged 18 to 29 who received Moderna only, the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty will be available in limited supply and reserved for those 29 and younger. Pediatric Pfizer doses are unaffected and will continue to be provide to children between 5 and 11. Public Health appreciates everyone’s patience and understanding while clinic staff work diligently to offer vaccinations. Please be kind and be respectful to one another. Verbal or physical abuse of clinic staff will not be tolerated.

Message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health

As we enter the new year, I know that the recent news reintroducing public health measures and returning to remote learning was not what anyone wanted to hear. With Omicron now the dominant COVID-19 strain in Ontario, we are seeing cases numbers surge. And although I am grateful that Omicron appears less likely to cause severe illness, the sheer volume of cases is already meaning more hospitalizations due to COVID. Getting vaccinated and avoiding close contact with others are actions we can take to blunt the increase in cases and contacts. Make no mistake, these actions will help each and every one of us. Like you, I don’t expect to have to go to the Emergency Department or get admitted to the hospital—but if I do, I want to make sure they’re not too overwhelmed to look after me. Like you, I want to do my part to ensure people I rely on—from our municipal workers to grocery store staff and from teachers to our police services—are there to keep me, my family and my community safe and running smoothly. These measures are not a forever thing. They are hard but they are needed right now. We will get through this together and look forward to much brighter days ahead.

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).