Today, the government released their updated modelling which outlines the following concerning trends:
Growth in cases has accelerated and is over 7% on the worst days.
Almost 40% of long-term care homes have active COVID-19 outbreaks.
Forecasts suggest more deaths in wave 2 in longterm care than in wave 1.
COVID-19 ICU occupancy is now over 400 beds
Mobility, and contacts between people have not decreased with the current restrictions.
A new variant of concern of SARS-CoV-2 (B117) could drive much higher case counts, ICU occupancy and mortality if community transmission occurs.
Without significant reductions in contacts, the health system will be overwhelmed and mortality will exceed the first wave totals before a vaccine has time to take effect.
Following the release of the modelling, the government has put in place new public health measures, detailed below.
Reminder- WeRPN Leadership Series- Courses begin next week Next Monday, January 18th, we will be kicking off the winter semester of our online leadership courses. We hope you will join us for one of our interactive 8-week online learning experiences, including:
Key Provincial Updates and Resources for Health Professionals
Today, the government announced it is immediately declaring a second provincial emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA).Effective Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 12:01 a.m., the government is issuing a stay-at-home order requiring everyone to remain at home with exceptions for permitted
purposes or activities, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, for exercise or for work where the work cannot be done remotely. This order and other new and existing public health restrictions are aimed at limiting people's mobility and reducing the number of daily contacts with those outside an immediate household.
Yesterday, Dr. Yaffe provided an update on COVID-19 trends in Ontario. Key points include:
Ontario reported more than 4,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the first time on January 8th. Each of the following days have seen well over 3,000 new cases.
Over 50% of cases are concentrated in the regions of Toronto, Peel, and York, although elevated case counts are being reported across the province.
The number of outbreaks is increasing. In the last seven days, 330 new outbreaks have been reported, more than 50% of which are in a vulnerable sector.
Percent positivity remains high, with a seven-day average of 7.1%.
Patients in hospital and intensive care due to COVID-19 are at record levels.
Over the weekend, the Ontario government announced expanded eligibility for emergency child care in Southern Ontario. The expansion is intended to further support parents of school-aged children who may not be able to support their child’s learning and/or care at home due to a need to report to work in person. A full list of the most recent additions is available here.
Today, the Prime Minister announced a Cabinet Shuffle following the resignation of Navdeep Bains from Cabinet.
The government also announced is has secured another 20M doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The federal government has also published a vaccine delivery schedule.
The Chief Public Health Officer's statement for
January 11th is available here
For more information, we encourage you to visit the Government of Canada website.
Daily
Reports
As of 10:30AM today, Ontario reported 222,023 confirmed cases (increase of 2,903), 186,829 resolved cases, 5,053 deaths.
The Ministry is also reporting that 1,701 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, 385 are in ICU and 262 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
