November 10 – Board of Health Summary
Written by Comms Team, November 11, 2021
COVID-19 Situational Update
Incident Commander Donna Churipuy noted that both the local and provincial case incidence rate have increased on a weekly basis. For the week of Oct. 24-30 it was 6.8 cases per 100,000, and then for the following week of Oct. 31-Nov. 6, the rate climbed to 12.8 cases/100,000. The provincial rate for the same two weeks respectively also increased from 16.9 cases/100,000 to 22.1 cases/100,000. The reproductive rate is also increasing, and for the period of Nov. 3-9, it is actually higher than the provincial reproductive rate (1.84 vs 1.21). Fortunately, the recent positive cases have not resulted in high numbers of high-risk contacts, however it’s critical to remain vigilant in following public health measures in addition to increasing vaccination rates. The province has just announced it is pausing the further lifting of capacity limits in remaining high-transmission settings. The majority of new local cases are in unvaccinated individuals. Locally, 84.1% of eligible residents (12 yrs+) have both first and second doses. Clinics opened this week for those eligible for booster doses, and appointments must be booked using the provincial booking system. Planning is actively underway to hold vaccination clinics for youth aged 5-11 years once the vaccine is authorized by Health Canada.
2022 Budgets: Cost-Shared and Ontario Seniors Dental Program Budget
The 2022 budget includes all Ministry of Health cost-shared programs and is based on several assumptions. These include a 0% increase from the Ministry over the 2021 budget approval, a 70% provincial and 30% local funding allocation, and provision of one-time mitigation funding for 2022, at the same level as 2021, to retain a 0% increase for municipal-funder contributions. It also assumes COVID-19-related activities are funded through staff redeployment (resulting in an underspent cost-shared budget) and any excess expenditures are covered 100% by the province. The Board approved the 2022 Cost-Shared budget for public health cost-shared programs and services in the amount of $10,856,829.
The cost-shared budget excludes the Ontario Seniors Dental Program (OSDP) and Medical Officer of Health Compensation Fund, as these continue to be funded 100% by the Province. The Board also approved the 2022 Ontario Seniors Dental Program budget in the amount of $700,100.
Next meeting:
The Board of Health will gather again in accordance to current public health guidelines on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. in Jackson Square, located at 159 King St., Peterborough.
A list of Board of Health meeting dates and locations can be found here.