There were 172 active cases of COVID-19 among residents of the jurisdiction of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) as of Tuesday, May 11. There had been 209 active cases on Monday, May 10.

As of Tuesday, there were 13 COVID-19 patients in hospital across the EOHU’s territory and five of those patients were in intensive care.

There had been 102 deaths due to COVID-19 across the jurisdiction of the EOHU as of May 11.

On Monday, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said 43 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed across the EOHU’s jurisdiction during the previous weekend.  Out of those cases, 16 were in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, five were in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry, five were in the City of Cornwall, and 17 cases were in the part of the Akwesasne First Nation under Canadian jurisdiction.

Restrictions

The provincewide shutdown and stay-at-home order is to remain in effect for the entire province of Ontario. The Ontario-Québec boundary is also closed to all but the most essential traffic. The restrictions are in effect until May 20.

On May 10, Roumeliotis said he believes the stay-at-home order should be extended for two weeks to further reduce cases as much as possible, so it is easier for society to reopen during the summer.

Ontario statistics

There were 2,073 new, active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario as of May 11. According to calculations based on statistics from the Ministry of Health, there were 31,151 active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario as of Tuesday.

There were 1,782 COVID-19 patients in hospital across Ontario as of Tuesday. Out of those patients, 802 were in intensive care, and 568 patients were on ventilators.

There had been 8,342 deaths due to COVID-19 across Ontario as of May 11, which was an increase of 15 deaths from May 10.

Vaccinations

As of May 11, 76,007 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered across the jurisdiction of the EOHU.

Across Ontario, 6,350,881 vaccine doses had been administered, and 396,787 Ontario residents had been fully vaccinated by receiving both required doses as of May 11.

Starting May 11, Group Two of essential workers who cannot work from home and individuals with at-risk health conditions can book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. On May 13, booking will expand further to include everyone who is 40 years of age or older in 2021 (born in 1981 or earlier). For the full list of individuals who are eligible to book an appointment for the vaccination, please visit www.eohu.ca/register.

All individuals who are eligible to book a vaccine appointment are encouraged to do so by consulting the EOHU website to determine how they can book their appointment. In some cases, there are multiple options for booking an appointment. Booking is also available directly through the provincial booking system at www.Ontario.ca/bookvaccine. Individuals who require assistance with booking can call the Provincial Vaccine Information Line at 1-888-999-6488.

Appointments can be made by an individual or with the help of someone. If you know someone who is part of an eligible group, please encourage them to get vaccinated. Those needing assistance with booking or getting to their COVID-19 vaccine appointment should visit our website to access local supports.

Astra-Zeneca vaccine supplies at participating local pharmacies have not been replenished but the EOHU was expecting to get a better indication on Monday of when more will be delivered.

According to the EOHU, Moderna vaccines could instead be delivered to pharmacies.

The Pfizer vaccine has also been approved for youth aged 12 and older.

According to Roumeliotis, vaccine deliveries are expected to increase during the week ahead.  He said the EOHU has not been affected by any reductions in vaccine supply.

Standby list

To avoid vaccine wastage by ensuring as many individuals as needed are available to receive remaining doses at the end of a clinic, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) is now extending the eligibility criteria for the standby list to individuals aged 18 or older who have not yet been able to book an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout the EOHU region are operating efficiently and ethically to ensure that vaccine wastage is minimized. All vaccine doses at each site are planned for and allocated. Should doses remain at the end of a clinic due to missed or cancelled appointments, individuals on the standby list could be called in to receive the extra doses to avoid vaccine wastage at local clinics.

Individuals who receive their first vaccination using the Standby List are unable to immediately make an appointment for the second dose.

Institutional outbreaks

The following hospitals, long-term care, retirement residences, and group home facilities under EOHU jurisdiction also had COVID-19 outbreaks as of May 11:

Rockland Manor

St-Viateur Nursing Home in Limoges

Residence St-Mathieu in Hammond

Community Living-Lasalle in Cornwall

School closures

All schools in Ontario have switched to learning online indefinitely.

EOHU COVID-19 case map, May 11, 2021

Map: Eastern Ontario Health Unit.