COVID-19 in Sudbury & districts: Your weekly update June 24, 2021

Reporting period: Thursday, June 17, 2021, to Wednesday, June 23, 2021.

Please note: next week’s report will be issued on Friday, July 2, due to the statutory holiday on July 1.

June 24, 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 23, 2021: 27 new cases, and 12 cases were resolved. There was 1 COVID-related death reported this week. Eighteen (18) new cases screened positive for a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC), which is 66.7% of the cases reported in this period. One (1) outbreak was active in the past week, in a workplace. At end of day June 23, 2021, there were 35 active cases in our service area, and 1 active outbreak. One (1) case was hospitalized, while the rest were self-isolating.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a total of 2 153 local cases of which 2 118 are resolved, and 31 people have died in our service area. Nine-hundred and sixty-seven (967) have screened positive for a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC).

Trends in the past seven days

• Of the 27 new cases in our service area, 19 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. Three cases were travel-related, while the source of exposure was unknown in 4 cases. No cases were linked to an outbreak. One (1) case remained under investigation.
• Twenty-four (24) cases reside in Greater Sudbury, while 2 reside in Sudbury East and 1 in Sudbury West. There were no cases among residents of Sudbury North 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 17 to June 23. Through our investigation, we identified 106 people who had high-risk close contacts with these cases. That is an average of 3.9 high-risk close contacts per case, compared to an average of 4.6 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 13.6 new cases per 100 000 population, compared to 8.0 cases per 100,000 in the previous 7 days.
• The percent positivity was 1.42% for the period of June 8 to June 14, (compared to 1.01% for the previous 7 days).
• For the period of June 8 to June 14, the effective reproductive number (Rt) was 0.7 for Northern Ontario, and 0.8 for Ontario overall.

Vaccination Program Update

• To date, the COVID-19 Vaccination Program has administered a total of 183 035 doses to residents in Sudbury and districts. Thus far, 131 904 people have received their first dose of vaccine, and 51 131 people have been fully vaccinated (current as of 4 p.m. June 23, 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 23, 2021, a total of 18 446 vaccine doses have been administered.
• Overall, 80.5% of Sudbury and district residents aged 18+ have received their first dose of a vaccine, compared to 80.9% for all Ontario residents aged 18+.
• Second doses have been received by 31.2% of those aged 18+ in Sudbury and districts compared to 29.3% 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

• As the school year comes to a close, we want to take this opportunity to thank school leaders, staff, bus drivers, parents, guardians, families, and students for being so resilient while navigating this difficult school year. Take time to replenish, have fun, laugh, and enjoy COVID-safe summer adventures!
• Planning a visit to see your loved ones living in long-term care? Fully vaccinated residents can accompany you on an outing and you will be able to offer a brief hug. Tips for a COVID-safe visit (Government of Ontario) include practising good hand hygiene, distancing, and appropriate masking.
• For many of us the pandemic has increased feelings of stress and fear. These are normal reactions to challenging times. Connections with animals can be helpful to PAWS your stress. This infographic (Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction) gives you coping activities you can do with your pet and tips for reducing the harms associated with using alcohol, cannabis, and other substances.
• The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has confirmed that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are interchangeable.  Meaning, you can safely get either mRNA product to complete your vaccine series with a high level of effectiveness, regardless of which mRNA vaccine you got for your first dose. Either option for your second dose is safe, provides strong protection against COVID-19, and will complete your COVID-19 vaccine series.
• With the COVID-19 Delta variant spreading throughout Ontario, it is more important than ever to complete the vaccine series and boost your immune response. Individuals must complete the vaccine series with two doses to improve vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 and the Delta variant. For booking and to get your second dose as soon as you are eligible visit our COVID-19 vaccine page at ca/COVID-19/vaccine-clinics.

What’s new

• As of Monday, June 21, 2021, those who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on or before May 9 are eligible to book an appointment for their second dose.
• Effective June 23, 2021, all mass immunization clinics previously scheduled at the Espanola Recreation Complex are taking place at the Espanola High School, 147 Spruce Avenue, Espanola, ON.
• Public Health Sudbury & Districts continues to offer walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics this week. Anyone who is eligible to receive their first or second dose of vaccine can attend. For clinic details, visit phsd.ca/covid-19/vaccine-clinics.

Message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health

I am cautiously optimistic about the current COVID-19 situation as we have seen a steady increase in the amount of vaccine administered and only a slight increase in the number of cases. While we cannot vaccinate ourselves out of the pandemic, getting first and second doses into arms provides another essential layer of protection. To accommodate the incredible demand we are seeing locally, we started walk-in vaccine clinics last week and are continuing with this approach again this week. Public Health remains committed to protecting your health during this pandemic and we are removing as many barriers to vaccination as possible for you and your family. With school ending next week, I want to thank teachers, school staff, students, and parents for persevering through another challenging year. Please continue to be kind and patient with each other and do your part to ensure we can have a safe and enjoyable summer.

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).