UPDATED AT 6:15 p.m. on May 25, 2021.

There were 131 active cases of COVID-19 among residents of the jurisdiction of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) as of Tuesday, May 25.

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

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 across EOHU jurisdiction remained at 103 as of May 25.

According to EOHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, there were 13 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed during the Victoria Day long weekend among residents of the health unit’s territory. Out of the 13 cases, 10 were in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, and three cases were in the City of Cornwall.

Reopening

The current stay-at-home order and shutdown in Ontario ends on June 3. On May 20, Premier Doug Ford announced a progressive “roadmap” to reopen the Province of Ontario that will depend on vaccination rates and case numbers.

Roadmap to Reopen outlines three steps to easing public health measures, guided by the following principles:

  • Step One An initial focus on resuming outdoor activities with smaller crowds where the risk of transmission is lower and permitting retail with restrictions. This includes allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, outdoor dining with up to four people per table and non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity.
  • Step Two Further expanding outdoor activities and resuming limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn. This includes outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people, outdoor sports and leagues, overnight camps, personal care services where face coverings can be worn and with capacity limits, as well as indoor religious services, rites or ceremony gatherings at 15 per cent capacity.
  • Step Three Expanding access to indoor settings, with restrictions, including where there are larger numbers of people and where face coverings can’t always be worn. This includes indoor sports and recreational fitness; indoor dining, museums, art galleries and libraries, and casinos and bingo halls, with capacity limits.

The province will remain in each step for at least 21 days to evaluate any impacts on key public health and health system indicators. If at the end of the 21 days, the following vaccination thresholds have been met, along with positive trends in other key public health and health system indicators, then the province will move to the next step:

  • Step 1: 60 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose.
  • Step 2: 70 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 20 per cent vaccinated with two doses.
  • Step 3: 70 to 80 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 25 per cent vaccinated with two doses.

Based on current trends in key health indicators, including the provincial vaccination rate, the government expects to enter Step One of the Roadmap the week of June 14, 2021. The province will confirm closer to the expected start of Step One.

Marinas, boat launches several outdoor amenities including all sports fields, marinas, and boat launches were all open effective Saturday, May 22, giving people the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors over the long weekend.

The previous colour-coded regional green, yellow, orange, and red levels of measures have been discontinued in Ontario. The new approach of gradual reopening based on low cases and high vaccination rates will apply to the entire province instead of having different rules for different regions.

Checkpoints remain in place for all private vehicles entering Ontario from Québec. On Tuesday, Roumeliotis said the checkpoints will likely be continued or discontinued based on the results of the review of the stay-at-home order which is expected next week. Presently, the order is to expire on June 3.

Ontario statistics

There were 1,039 new, active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario as of May 25. According to calculations based on statistics from the Ministry of Health, there were 19,026 active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario as of Tuesday.

There were 1,025 COVID-19 patients in hospital across Ontario as of Tuesday. Out of those patients, 692 were in intensive care, and 498 patients were on ventilators.

There had been 8,506 deaths due to COVID-19 across Ontario as of May 25, which was an increase of 33 deaths from May 24.

Vaccinations

As of May 25, 95,438 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered across the jurisdiction of the EOHU.

Across Ontario, 8,251,642 vaccine doses had been administered, and 544,288 Ontario residents had been fully vaccinated by receiving both required doses as of May 25.

Roumeliotis said on May 25 that 46,000 more people will be eligible for vaccination across EOHU jurisdiction before the end of June and that an 81 per cent vaccination rate for the population of the territory is projected.

As of Tuesday, youth aged 12 to 17, and all other individuals aged 18 and older (born in 2003 or before) are eligible to make COVID-19 vaccination appointments in Ontario.

Appointment booking is 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.

On May 25, Roumeliotis said the booking system will soon open for people who already received a first dose but were not given a time and date for their second dose appointment. Second doses could be available sooner than originally planned due to the accelerated rate of people receiving their first dose.

“Please do not worry, we will not forget you. Second doses will not be forgotten,” Roumeliotis assured residents.

Individuals who already received their first dose with the AstraZeneca vaccine will be able to receive their second dose using AstraZeneca before the end of June.

Roumeliotis said on Tuesday that the booking system will be adapted to contain the records of who was vaccinated where and with what vaccine for their first dose. He said plans are also being made to add the records of people who were vaccinated outside of Ontario to the province’s records.

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

As of late in the afternoon on Monday, May 25, there were zero COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, hospitals, retirement residences, and group home facilities under EOHU jurisdiction.

School closures

All schools in Ontario have switched to learning online indefinitely. With a progressive reopening of various businesses and services across the province planned for the weeks ahead, officials have been facing questions about if in-person learning will resume at any schools during the five weeks remaining in the school year.

On May 20, Premier Doug Ford said there needs to be a consensus among public health officials before any resumption of classroom learning is considered. Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario, Dr. David Williams, and EOHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis both support having classes resume, but other officials question the safety of returning to classroom learning.

EOHU COVID-19 case map, May 25, 2021