We have received several inquiries from RPNs regarding the public health roles in schools. As you may know from previous updates, we have been advocating for many of these roles to
go to RPNs. We have been in touch with the Ministry of Health who have advised us that funding is being provided to each local public health unit to hire the right nursing professionals to meet their needs, whether RPNs or RNs. We encourage you to check local public health unit website to see what opportunities there may be in your region.
Key Provincial Updates and Resources for Health Professionals Today, the Ontario government announced it is providing $25 million to expand access to the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program. The funding will be used to support 78 infrastructure projects across the province, including building new dental clinics and renovating existing facilities.
Yesterday, Premier Doug Ford announced an investment of $9.3 million in 11 training projects to help students and job seekers prepare for careers in the auto and advanced manufacturing sectors. Training projects range from hands-on learning opportunities for students, to short-duration college courses that will help laid-off workers gain credentials for jobs in these sectors.
Late last week, Ontario loosened COVID-19 restrictions surrounding day trip and overnight outings for long-term care home residents. Effective immediately residents are once again permitted to leave their long-term care facilities for day trips and overnight absences.
For absences which do not require an overnight stay, homes are required to provide residents with a medical mask to be worn at all times while outside the facility, and to remind residents of the importance of adhering to public health measures. Residents must be screened upon their return but are not required to be tested for COVID-19 or to self-isolate. Residents who leave for overnight absences will be required to self-isolate for 14 days when they return to their long-term care home. Allowing these outings will be at the discretion of each
long-term care facility, and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis according to safety factors. For more information, we encourage you to visit the Ministry of Health and
Public Health Ontario website.
Key Federal Updates
Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced that agreements in principle have been reached with Johnson & Johnson and Novavax to procure millions of doses of experimental COVID‑19 vaccines. These agreements add to those already reached with Pfizer and Moderna, which were made following the recommendations of the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force.
With these additional agreements in place, Canada has now secured access to four of the leading vaccine
candidates.
For more information, we encourage you to visit the Government of Canada website.
Daily Reports
As of 10:30AM today, Ontario reported 42,421 confirmed cases (increase of 112), 38,369 resolved cases, 2,812 deaths and 15,748 currently under investigation with lab results pending.
The Ministry is also reporting that 65 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, 17 are in ICU and 5 are vented. To view these additional details: click here
Click Hereto read the latest Ministry of Health Daily Report **Please note, these reports are intended for health professionals only and we request that you not share this with the public.
World Health Organization Situation Reports are also available here
In the News For an interactive map tracking all cases across Canada and internationally, click here
Below are some key stories from today that may be of interest to our members:
We encourage RPNs looking for employment opportunities to sign up on all the platforms noted above.
We will continue to monitor this situation and keep you updated as more information becomes available. Thank you for the important work that you're doing and the sacrifices you're making to keep Ontarians safe. We appreciate everything that you're doing each and every day.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Tiff Blair at tblair@werpn.com
Sincerely,
WeRPN Team
WeRPN 5025 Orbitor Drive Building 5, Suite 200 Mississauga, Ontario L4W 4Y5
