Apologies for the one day delay in getting this week's second newsletter to your inbox!
After months of battling the pandemic, we are seeking insights from the RPN community about how COVID-19 has impacted you and your practice. This data will support the association’s efforts to raise awareness about the issues that matter to RPNs and advocate on their behalf to government and health partners. We hope you will share your experiences with us!
Click here to be directed to the survey. This survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please submit responses by Friday, December 11, 2020, 11:59 p.m. ET.
Key Provincial Updates and Resources for Health Professionals
Today, Ontario appointed members to the Ministers’ COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force. The task force also held its inaugural meeting this afternoon. The Task force will oversee the delivery, storage, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the province.
The following nine members were appointed to the task force today:
Dr. Dirk Huyer, Ontario’s Chief Coroner and Coordinator of Provincial Outbreak Response;
Dr. Homer Tien, trauma surgeon and President and CEO, Ornge;
Dr. Maxwell Smith, bioethicist and assistant professor, Western University;
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious diseases consultant and internist, Toronto General Hospital;
Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald of Taykwa Tagamou Nation;
Dr. Regis Vaillancourt, Director of Pharmacy and Integrated Pain Services, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario;
Linda Hasenfratz, CEO, Linamar Corporation;
Angela Mondou, President and CEO, TECHNATION;
Mark Saunders, former Toronto Police Chief.
This afternoon, Ontario announced that three public health regions
would be moved to levels of the Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework with stronger public health measures. Effective Monday, December 7th at 12:01 a.m.:
Middlesex-London Health Unit and Thunder Bay District Health Unit move to Orange-Restrict;
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ride District Health Unit moves to Yellow-Protect.
Earlier today, the Ministry of Long-Term Care approved a new voluntary management agreement between Lakeridge Health and Sunnycrest Nursing Home in Whitby. The agreement is intended to help address the current
spread of COVID-19 at Sunnycrest, and will remain in effect for 90 days, with a possible extension if necessary.
Earlier this week, the government announced an
investment of more than $115 million to support 850 patients with complex care needs that transition from hospitals to home and community care. This investment will ensure that patients are able to access required care within the safety of their own home, preserving hospital capacity needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yesterday, the Federal government held a technical briefing on vaccine roll out. The government expects to receive 6 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, subject to approval, in the first quarter of 2021 and they will be used to immunize the most vulnerable Canadians. Major General Dany Fortin discussed the military’s role in the roll-out, including in creating and maintaining the cold chain of freezers across the country.
For more information, we encourage you to visit the Government of Canada website.
Daily Reports
As of 10:30AM today, Ontario reported 123,526 confirmed cases (increase of 1,780), 104,792 resolved cases, 3,737 deaths and 62,403 currently under investigation with lab results pending.
The Ministry is also reporting that 674 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, 207 are in ICU and 116 are vented. To view these additional details:click here
Click Hereto read the latest Ministry of Health Daily Report
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
