There were 129 active cases of COVID-19 among residents of the jurisdiction of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) as of Friday, May 28.

As of Friday, there were six 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 28.

Reopening

The current stay-at-home order and shutdown in Ontario ends on June 3. The Ontario government has announced a progressive “roadmap” to reopen the province that will depend on vaccination rates and case numbers. The first step in the process is tentatively to begin on June 14.

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.

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. 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 1,273 new, active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario as of May 28. According to calculations based on statistics from the Ministry of Health, there were 15,438 active cases of COVID-19 across Ontario as of Friday.

There were 1,023 COVID-19 patients in hospital across Ontario as of Friday. Out of those patients, 645 were in intensive care, and 458 patients were on ventilators.

There had been 8,711 deaths due to COVID-19 across Ontario as of May 28, which was an increase of 14 deaths from May 27.

Vaccinations

As of May 28, 106,049 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered across the jurisdiction of the EOHU.

Across Ontario, 8,690,473 vaccine doses had been administered, and 624,920 Ontario residents had been fully vaccinated by receiving both required doses as of May 28.

On May 20, EOHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said 24,000 vaccination appointments were available across the EOHU’s territory up to June 12 and that it remains very likely 80 per cent of the residents of the territory will be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Roumeliotis also reassured that information will be made available as soon as arrangements are in place for individuals needing to book their second dose. On Friday, Ontario announced that second doses will be given within a shorter period of time than originally planned.

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.

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 Friday, May 28, 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.

Roumeliotis was attending a meeting with other top public health and government officials on Thursday afternoon to discuss reopening possibilities for schools.

EOHU COVID-19 case map, May 28, 2021

Map: Eastern Ontario Health Unit.

Map: Eastern Ontario Health Unit.