COVID-19 in Sudbury & districts: Your weekly update July 2, 2021

Reporting period: Thursday, June 24, 2021, to Wednesday, June 30, 2021.

July 2, 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 June 30, 2021: 13 new cases were reported and 25 cases were resolved. There were no COVID-related deaths reported this week. Ten (10) new cases screened positive for a COVID-19 variant of concern, which is 76.9% of the cases reported in this period. Two (2) outbreaks were active in the past week: one in a workplace and one in a daycare. The workplace outbreak was declared over in the last 7 days. At end of day June 30, 2021, there were 23 active cases in our service area and 1 active outbreak. All cases were self-isolating. There were no local cases in hospital.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a total of 2 166 local cases of which 2 143 are resolved, and 31 people have died in our service area. Nine-hundred and eighty-two (982) have screened positive for a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC).

Trends in the past seven days

• Of the 13 new cases in our service area, 9 were close contacts of confirmed cases and 1 case was linked to 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. One (1) case was travel-related, while the source of exposure was unknown for 2 cases.
• Ten (10) cases reside in Greater Sudbury, while 1 resides in Sudbury North and 2 in Sudbury East. There were no cases among residents of Sudbury West or Manitoulin District in the past 7 days. (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)
• Contact tracing information was available for all cases reported from June 24 to June 30. Through our investigation, we identified 143 people who had high-risk close contacts with these cases. That is an average of 11.0 high-risk close contacts per case, compared to an average of 3.9 contacts per cases reported last week. 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 6.5 new cases per 100 000 population, compared to 13.6 cases per 100 000 in the previous 7 days.
• The percent positivity was 0.74% for the period of June 23 to June 29, (compared to 1.42% for the previous 7 days).
• For the period of June 23 to June 29, the effective reproductive number (Rt) was 0.91 for Northern Ontario, and 0.9 for Ontario overall.

Vaccination Program Update

NEW: Vaccination coverage rates are now being reported for the population 12+ instead of 18+.

• To date, the COVID-19 Vaccination Program has administered a total of 216 802 doses to residents in Sudbury and districts. Thus far, 135 205 people have received their first dose of vaccine, and 81 597 people have been fully vaccinated (current as of 4 p.m. June 30, 2021). Note, this includes vaccines administered by Public Health, First Nation and Indigenous communities, primary care partners, and pharmacies.
• Over the last seven days up to end of day June 30, 2021, a total of 33 767 vaccine doses have been administered.
• Overall, 77.0% of Sudbury and district residents aged 12+ have received their first dose of a vaccine, compared to 76.5% for all Ontario residents aged 12+.
• Second doses have been received by 46.5% of those aged 12+ in Sudbury and districts compared to 39.8% of Ontarians of same age.
• The following is a depiction of vaccinations received by age for individuals 12+ in Sudbury and districts.

* Rates are now based on 2020 population projections from the Ministry of Finance(2018) to match provincial coverage calculations.

Stay COVID-safe

• On June 30, we moved into Step 2 of the Reopening Ontario Roadmap (Government of Ontario). The provincial gathering limits(Government of Ontario) have changed to a maximum of 25 outdoors and 5 indoors, however public health measures stay the same. Ask yourself if the gathering is necessary and if so, assess your risk. Bring a mask for indoor use and for outdoor use if 2-meters distance cannot be maintained.
• Restaurants can now open for outdoor dining with a maximum of 6 people per table. Be COVID-safe when dining outdoors and maintain 2 meters from others not at your table; wear a mask if you are not eating. Dine with members of your household to reduce risk.
• It is ok to not feel ok. Know that you are not alone. If you are noticing that your symptoms of anxiety are interfering with your day-to-day activities, there are formal supports available to you. Please see our list of mental health resources.
• To ensure maximum protection against COVID-19and the Delta variant, anyone 18 and over should attend a walk-in clinic or book their second dose appointment as soon as possible.

What’s new

• Starting Monday, July 5, 2021, youth aged 12 and over across Ontario who received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine more than 28 days ago are eligible to book online for an appointment to receive their second dose. Additionally, effective immediately, youth aged 12 and over in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts can attend a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic to receive their second dose. Youth are eligible for the walk-in clinics if their first dose was more than 21 days ago (for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine). The online booking system is restricted to dose intervals of 28 days or more.
• As of Monday, June 28, 2021, anyone aged 18 and over in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts who received their first dose of an mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) vaccine is eligible to book an appointment to receive their second dose.
• Anyone who received AstraZeneca 56 days ago (at least 8 weeks) and who wishes to receive an mRNA vaccine is currently able to book their second dose.
• Effective July 6, 2021, all COVID-19 vaccine mass immunization clinics previously scheduled at the NEMI Recreation Centre (Little Current) or Mindemoya Missionary Church will take place at Manitoulin Secondary School (107 Bay St, M’Chigeeng).
• Public Health Sudbury & Districts would like to remind individuals that with the provincial decision to accelerate COVID-19 mRNA (Pfizer or Moderna) doses, all second dose appointments currently scheduled at a Public Health clinic on or after July 12 in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts will be cancelled and need to be rebooked, with limited exceptions. Anyone who is currently eligible for an accelerated second dose and has already rebooked their appointment is not affected by the cancellations.

Message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health

I am very encouraged to see that COVID-19 vaccine clinics continue to be busy with many people lining up, sometimes in the rain, to get vaccinated. We are truly pulling together as a community to protect one another. With many people starting summer vacation or planning fun summer activities, now is the perfect time to make sure you are fully vaccinated. By getting your first and second dose, you are not only protecting yourself and others from COVID-19 and the Delta variant, but helping to ensure that our communities can open safely and stay open. It has been a very long road to get to this point, but our collective sacrifices and efforts to be COVID-safe are working. Please continue to be kind and support each other.

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 on Monday 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).