Active COVID-19 cases across the jurisdiction of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) have fluctuated just above and just below 600 during the past week.  As of Tuesday, January 19, active cases had decreased to 578 from 638 cases on January 18.

There were 27 COVID-19 patients from the EOHU’s territory in hospital as of January 19 and six of those patients were in intensive care.  The patients were in hospitals in Hawkesbury, Cornwall, Ottawa, and Winchester.

The number of deaths resulting from COVID-19 across the area served by the EOHU had increased to 46 as of January 19 from 44 on January 18.

Long-term care outbreaks

The COVID-19 outbreak at Lancaster Long-Term Care has been particularly serious.  Due to staff who are ill or overwhelmed, staff from Cornwall Community Hospital have been sent to assist at the facility.  Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, and Cornwall paramedics are working at Lancaster Long-Term Care, and Canadian Red Cross personnel are also helping.  As of January 19, COVID-19 outbreaks of two or more cases were in effect at the following long-term care, retirement, and group living facilities under EOHU jurisdiction:

Heritage Lodge in Vankleek Hill

Maxville Manor

Villa St-Albert

Caressant Care Nursing Home in Bourget

Foyer St-Jacques in Embrun

Foyer St-Viateur Nursing Home in Limoges

Lancaster Long-Term Care.

St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre–Complex Care

Sandfield Place Long-Term Care in Cornwall

Riverview Manor in Cornwall

Heartwood Long-Term Care in Cornwall

Heritage Heights in Cornwall

Cornwall Community Hospital—JMP 2500 and 2600 pods

Glen Stor Dun Lodge in Cornwall

TSIIonKwa NonhSoTe Long-Term Care in Akwesasne

Woodland Villa in Long Sault

Vaccination progress

COVID-19 vaccinations began to be administered in long-term care facilities across the EOHU’s territory during the previous week. As of Monday, January 18, 1,200 people across the jurisdiction of the EOHU had received COVID-19 vaccinations.

Ontario statistics 

The Provincewide Shutdown and stay-at-home order remain in effect across the province of Ontario.

On January 19, the daily increase of COVID-19 cases across Ontario was below 1,000 for the first time since the late autumn of 2020.  As of January 19, there were 1,913 new, active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario from January 18.  According to calculations based on statistics from the Ministry of Health, there were 27,615 active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario as of Tuesday.

There were 1,626 COVID-19 patients in hospital across Ontario as of January 19.  Out of those patients, 400 were in intensive care, and 292 patients were on ventilators.

There had been 5,479 deaths due to COVID-19 across Ontario as of January 19, which was an increase of 46 deaths from January 18.

Vaccination situation

Ontario has reached a key milestone in the fight against COVID-19, completing the first round of vaccinations ahead of schedule in all long-term care homes in Toronto, Peel, York and Windsor-Essex, the four regions with the highest COVID-19 transmission rates. The first round of vaccinations has also been administered at all long-term care homes in the Ottawa Public Health Region, Durham Region and Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.

To date, more than 40 percent of all long-term care homes across the province have had an opportunity to receive the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 83,000 long-term care residents, staff and essential caregivers have been vaccinated.

Progress continues to be made with the goal of administering vaccines in all long-term care homes across the province by February 15, 2021.

As part of Phase One of its vaccine implementation plan, Ontario will continue to focus on vaccinating vulnerable populations, and those who care for them, as more supply becomes available. On January 15, the province was alerted by the federal government that due to work to expand its European manufacturing facility, production of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine will be impacted and Canada’s allocations of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the remainder of January and early February will be reduced.

To respond to this change in supply of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has provided updated direction on the administration of second doses:

  • Long-term care and high-risk retirement home residents and their essential caregivers, who have received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, will receive their second dose in 21 to 27 days.
  • Staff who were vaccinated within the homes at the same time as the residents will also follow the same schedule.
  • All other recipients of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine must receive their second dose after 21 days and before 42 days.
  • For individuals who received the Moderna vaccine, the dose schedule of 28 days will remain.

COVID-19 cases across EOHU jurisdiction, January 19, 2021.

Map: Eastern Ontario Health Unit.