July 21 Board of Health Summary
Written by Comms Team, July 23, 2021
COVID-19 Update
The current state of the outbreak reflects a great improvement over the past two weeks. The case incidence rate now stands at 1.4 cases per 100,000, which is lower than the provincial rate of 7 cases per 100,000. There is one active outbreak locally in a congregate living setting, it has two cases and is stable. As of July 21, 78% of eligible local residents have their first dose, and 63.3% are fully vaccinated. Attendance at mass immunization clinics is starting to decrease, so PPH is transitioning to new, more targeted methods of vaccinating residents, including pop-up clinics and relying on pharmacies and primary care physicians/Nurse Practitioners to vaccinate their patients. Other options being considered include mobile clinics and drive-through clinic models. The province has set an aspirational target of a 90% vaccination rate for everyone 12 years+ based on the more transmissible Delta variant. PPH emailed 14,000 residents with appointments in August and later to ask them to move up their appointment into July. Time is of the essence to increase vaccination rates and achieve herd immunity and protect our community.
PPH Recovery Plan
PPH has begun developing a framework to guide its recovery efforts once the COVID-19 emergency response subsides. COVID-19 is expected to become an ongoing piece of public health work, however, the recovery plan will help PPH to balance this with the return of public health programs and services reduced or suspended during the pandemic. The recovery plan also describes how PPH intends to “build back better” in order to address local public health priorities while COVID-19 transitions from a pandemic virus into an endemic virus. The phases of the plan are organized around three key themes: restoration, reconstruction, and reimagining. The recovery plan will also focus on addressing health equity needs in the community. The timeframe of this plan is expected to extend from the summer to the end of 2021, however, this will depend on the emergency response which may have to be extended because of the Delta variant.
Unfunded Public Health Programs
The Board reviewed a report outlining several public health programs that are required under the Ontario Public Health Standards yet are not funded through the province. Unfunded programs include the enforcement of Menu Labelling regulations, the Child Visual Health and Vision Screening protocols and inspections of Consumption and Treatment Services sites. Unfortunately, local public health agencies (LPHAs) have limited capacity to implement them without a supporting budget. With the anticipated return to regular programs and services in the upcoming fall and winter and the ongoing demands of COVID-19 response, it will be critical that programs that have not been operating for the past 16 months respond to the gaps and inequities created or exacerbated during the pandemic. The addition of new mandates must not jeopardize the prioritization of programs and services that are intended to reduce health inequities and are evidence based. The Board passed a motion to send correspondence outlining this situation to the Minister of Health, with copies to the Premier of Ontario, Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health, local MPPs, the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) and Ontario Boards of Health.
Next meeting:
The Board of Health will gather again in accordance to current public health guidelines on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. in Jackson Square, located at 185 King St., Peterborough.
A list of Board of Health meeting dates and locations can be found here.