COVID-19 in Sudbury & districts: Your weekly update October 14, 2021

Reporting period: Thursday, October 7, 2021, to Wednesday, October 13, 2021.

October 14, 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 October 13, 2021: 54 new cases were reported and 29 cases were resolved. To date, 39 of the 54 cases had a mutation profile that is commonly associated with a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC). Eight (8) COVID-19 outbreaks were active this week, including 2 in schools, 2 in workplaces, and 1 each in a daycare, a congregate living setting, a public community setting and a private social gathering. There were no COVID-related deaths. Three (3) outbreaks were declared over this week, including 2 in schools, and 1 in a daycare. At end of day October 13, 2021, there were 75 active cases in our service area and 6 active outbreaks. There were 2 local cases in hospital, and the rest were self-isolating.  There were 2 potential low-risk exposures in public settings reported, 1 high-risk exposure, and 1 potential exposure related to an outbreak.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a total of 2 530 local cases of which 2 455 are resolved, and 31 people have died in our service area. One thousand, two hundred and fifty-six (1 256) were confirmed or presumed to be COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC).

Of the 438 local cases of COVID-19 reported since June 1, 2021, 88 cases (20%) have been among fully vaccinated individuals. There have been 302 cases (69%) in unvaccinated residents, while 48 (11%) have occurred among those who have received one dose of vaccine. During that same period, there have been 11 local hospitalizations of which 8 cases (73%) were unvaccinated, and 2 cases (18%) were partially vaccinated (2 cases, 25%). One (1) hospitalized case (9%) was 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 data from the last 14 days, the risk of contracting COVID-19 for unvaccinated residents of Sudbury and districts was 4.3 times the risk for fully vaccinated residents.

Recent trends

• In the past 28 days, the overall incidence rate of COVID-19 in our area was 92.2 new cases per 100 000 population. Residents who were 20 to 29 years of age had the highest rate at 166.9 per 100 000 population. The rates among 0 to 19-year-olds (159.4 per 100 000) and 30 to 39-year-olds (127.2 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 27.2 new cases per 100 000 population, compared to 20.6 cases per 100 000 in the previous 7 days.
• Of the 54 new cases in our service area in the past week, 27 were a close contact of confirmed case and 15 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. No cases were travel-related, while 11 had no known epidemiological link. One (1) case remained under investigation.
• Of the 54 cases reported this week, 51 reside in Greater Sudbury while 3 reside in Sudbury West (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).
• Between October 7 and October 13, Public Health identified 521 people as having had high-risk close contact with a case of COVID-19. This represents an average of 9.6 high-risk close contacts per local case reported in the past 7 days, compared to 7.5 high-risk close contacts per case 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 (usually not required if fully vaccinated), and make recommendations for testing according to provincial guidance.
• The percent positivity was 2.0% for the period of October 6 to October 12, compared to 0.9% for the previous 7 days.
• For the period of October 6 to October 12 the effective reproductive number (Rt) was 1.01 for Northern Ontario, and 0.95 for Ontario overall.

Vaccination Program update

Note: To ensure that our estimated rates of vaccination coverage remain as accurate as possible, as of October 14, 2021, the population figures used in these calculations have been updated to reflect counts recently made available from Statistics Canada. As the new 2020 population estimates are slightly higher than those previously used, readers may notice a decrease in our estimated coverage rates from those published prior to this date. Note that the same change was made by Public Health Ontario, so this improves the comparability of our estimates with their estimates. Provincial coverage estimates are taken from the provincial website. In addition, we have corrected our data to reflect recent updates to dose tracking processes, further decreasing our estimated coverage rates compared to those published prior to this date.

• To date, a total of 311 057 doses of COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered in Sudbury and districts. Thus far, 159 453 people have received their first dose of vaccine and 149 805 people have been fully vaccinated, of which 1 799 people have received a third dose (current as of 4 p.m. October 13, 2021). Note, this includes vaccines administered by Public Health, First Nation and Indigenous communities, primary care, and pharmacies.
• Over the last 7 days up to end of day October 13, 2021, a total of 2 582 vaccine doses were administered.
• Overall, 84.4% of Sudbury and districts residents aged 12+ have received their first dose of a vaccine, compared to 87.2% for all Ontario residents aged 12+.
• Second doses have been received by 79.5% of those aged 12+ in Sudbury and districts compared to 82.5% for all Ontario residents aged 12+.

The following is a depiction of vaccinations received by age for individuals 12+ in Sudbury and districts.

Stay COVID-safe

• Complete your COVID-19 vaccine series by getting two doses or a third dose if you’re eligible. The vaccine provides strong protection against COVID-19. Research shows, if an individual does get the virus, symptoms are usually milder if they have been immunized.
• Let’s continue to be COVID-safe and wear a well-fitted mask in indoor public settings where required and outdoor settings when two meters can’t be maintained, regardless of your vaccination status.
• Did you know that confusion, worry, stress, and uncertainty are all normal reactions to the current COVID-19 pandemic? Please know that it’s okay not to be okay. Texting to a Kids Help Phone (kidshelpphone.ca) responder can help. Adults can text WELLNESS to 741741 and young people can text TALK to 686868. You can ask to be connected with a First Nations, Inuit or Métis crisis responder by texting FIRST NATIONS, INUIT or METIS to 686868.

What’s new

• As of Saturday, October 9, the Government of Ontario lifted capacity limits in select indoor and outdoor settings where proof of vaccination is required, as well as certain outdoor settings that have a capacity below 20 000. For more details, read the news release on ontario.ca.

Message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health

COVID-19 cases have once again increased locally and Public Health staff continues to work diligently to limit the spread. With the weather getting cooler, more people spending time indoors, and capacity limits being increased in certain settings, we are likely to see more transmission. Getting vaccinated helps curb the spread and reduce the risk of severe illness if infected. Tools such as showing proof of vaccination in certain settings and following tried-and-true COVID-safe behaviours play a key role in keeping case counts low. We are also monitoring the situation in schools and child care centres and will recommend rapid testing if warranted. No single requirement or action is going to end this pandemic. Fortunately, we have multiple layers of protection in place. Please consider what actions you can take to help reduce the chances of transmission.

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 Monday 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).