As provinces lift restrictions, many Canadians are itching to travel. With March Break upon us, the team at COVIDdetect has pulled together top five ways to help remain as safe as possible during these times of excitement, and a little trepidation.
Premier Ford was masked when he got his vaccination. The rest of us can do it
#1 Get vaccinated – get boosted
Getting vaccinated ensures you are adequately protected against the virus. It lowers your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. With over 80% of Canadians with at least two doses, many provinces and territories are loosening restrictions and mandates. A booster shot can increase your efficacy to hold off severe infection from COVID-19.
#2 Wear a mask, wash your hands
Wearing a mask and washing your hands are additional precautions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. Wash your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds. These sustainable and effective measures can cut the risk of transmission of not only COVID-19 but also other viruses and illness.
#3 Be prepared – have rapid antigen test on hand
Forget the hassle of having to find a rapid antigen test while you’re away or the worry of not being sure if you should gather with friends and family. Carry rapid antigen tests with you to test before and after social gatherings, travel on planes, trains, and automobiles (and on public transit). Taking a rapid antigen test is quick, easy, and convenient. It allows you to get the results within 15 minutes without leaving the house. It is the perfect way to have peace of mind and enjoy yourself.
#4 Plan your trip carefully
Have a plan. Planning ensures smooth sailing for a trip and helps calm nerves, especially if this is your first time traveling in a long time. Look for activities with smaller crowds and gatherings or scheduling the activity at off-peak hours. Understand local restrictions and public health guidelines so you know what to expect. Reduce your risk by choosing outdoor activities. Check local travel blogs and community websites for a list of possible activities.
Get tested
#5 If you’re not feeling great, take a test
If you are not feeling well take the time to investigate. Using rapid antigen tests and common sense will limit exposing your friends and loved ones to whatever ailment you may have. With a rapid antigen test, you can better understand your symptoms and make informed decisions on taking care of yourself and when to seek treatment if necessary.
If you’re still worried about COVID-19, plan activities that are close to home, have a backup plan if activities become too busy and be creative! Additional resources are available on the Government of Canada travel and tourism website.
A program for seniors who need special care may get really rolling with Covid19 restrictions being eased.
You know him as the Council member for ward 5; the without a doubt, smartest member of Council – with ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns a very close second smartest council member.
Councillor Sharman has held two public sessions with Senior’s as part of his effort to understand their needs and develop policy that Council can put in place to serve this vital community. At most of the sessions Sharman’s Dad is often in the audience.
Sharman has always had a soft spot for the seniors, it is a sector to which he pays close attention.
During a conversation over what he was going to do next Paul Sharman would not say he was going to run again nor would he offer as much as a hint about possibly challenging to the sitting Mayor come October.
Paul Sharman wanted to talk about PACE, a project on which he has done some work in the past and very much wants to do more on in the future ; he made it clear to me that he was talking about near future.
Last November he explained what PACE (Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) was about to a small group of seniors at the Wellington Tower in downtown Burlington.
Paul’s story was a very personal that resonated with his audience. He first learned about it during a conference he was attending in Detroit. Sharman was invited to visit a charitable organization that created an interesting program. He and Rick Goldring, Burlington mayor at the time, went down and visited Presbyterian Villages and United Methodist Retirement Communities, that provided thousands of income-geared condo-style homes that were rented to people on limited incomes.
On the ground floor of all of this was a program called PACE. Other communities were served by standalone PACE centres.
The focus was on keeping older adults in their homes longer; Sharman wanted something like this in Burlington and was able to launch a first effort in January 2020 to provide comprehensive care for older adults as an alternative to long-term care facilities.
Paul Sharman’s quest to bring better care to seniors is a very personal story. It began when his mother had to be moved to a long-term care (LTC) facility from a retirement home after apparently “assaulting” another community member while in distress. His mother was deemed violent even though she was frail.
An Earth Day event, where the lights were turned off for an hour, spooked Sharman’s mother, who was suffering from dementia, resulting in her pushing away the other community member when they approached her.
This unnamed LTC facility also had locked wards for residents who were considered “violent,” where younger residents with mental health and other issues were also located and would allegedly assault other residents.
Paul Sharman with members of his family at a community event.
After much advocacy by Sharman’s sister, their mother was eventually moved out of the locked ward to one mostly occupied by residents who had suffered from strokes. Eventually, she developed pneumonia, was unable to swallow antibiotics, and was then moved to a hospital. By then, her options were limited and she passed away in early 2015.
Paul Sharman: When he puts his mind to an issue he looks for the data and lets that lead him to the decision he makes.
“Long-term care is necessary but insufficient,” said Sharman. Sharman believes that things could have been better for his mother had there been more support services available in the community. His mother inspired him to look for ways to develop support groups for older adults so they could stay in their homes as long as possible and therefore have a better quality of life.
He and others got as far as setting up a non-profit organization that practices in condo towers and other places of congregate living.
The local Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) was very engaged and interested and wanted to give them access to their services kit, meaning they would organize services for those people who needed help at home.
Healthcare system restructuring meant that CCACs were disbanded, which meant those services still existed operating under a different name, the future became unclear without the CCAC, and the program was suspended.
On the way back from Detroit, Goldring and Sharman talked about how the Presbyterian and United Methodist villages were able to pull together so many housing units with limited resources and what exactly made it work.
To help them think it through, Dr. Jennifer Mendez, a Toronto-based professor who taught geriatric care to medical students at Wayne State University in Detroit and an advisor to PACE in Detroit, was brought in to provide support for the Burlington project. Mendez, now retired, has been involved with the American iteration for more than 25 years, first starting in Milwaukee. Mendez says collaboration between all of the service providers is essential for the success of the program.
JBH president Eric Vandewall manages well and gets the job done. The biggest problem he faces is a cultural one. The problem existed long before Vandewall arrived.
Sharman’s team then presented the idea to a special meeting of 80 Burlington community leaders, including Eric Vandewall, President and CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital, and Dr. Michael Shih of Emshih Developments, who specializes in the development of medical buildings and retirement homes.
When the presentation was over, Sharman asked the assembled leaders if anyone could think of any reason not to pursue this program going forward. The room was silent. People then asked what would be done next.
This resulted in Sharman and Goldring setting up committees to discuss how PACE might be established in Burlington. Vandewall and Shih were brought on to the volunteer committee and after about eight or nine months of talking it through, the program was moved into the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), as they had all the resources and connections necessary for it to work, coupled with Halton Community Housing, which owns and operates large housing properties for older adults.
Residents over 80 years of age in 2016 census it was 5.7% in Burlington and 9.2% over 75. The 2021 census has not provided Burlington yet, but Ontario is 4.6% over 80 and 7.8% over 75.
“I think this is the population that requires the most attention,” said Shih. “Social isolation is a problem.” “Also because of the seniors living much longer now, in terms of care and [their] financial situation, everything needs more attention,” he added.
A solid strategic thinker who wonders just where the vision for the city is hiding.
Unfortunately, just after the pilot program launched last January, PACE couldn’t offer new services or group programs due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the organizations that were already working with residents were able to continue doing so.
The pandemic shed an extremely negative light on long-term care in the province, giving PACE a chance to stand out and continue to grow.
And with the help of vaccines, the program has been back up and running for about six months and has been granted approval from the Burlington Ontario Health Team (OHT), operating out of Joseph Brant Hospital, to scale up and continue its work.
Halton Community Housing has also committed $1 million for renovations on the ground floor of Wellington Terrace to better house PACE and its programs.
There is a lot more to this story. The big question is: can Paul Sharman get PACE off the ground and be Mayor at the same time?
Joseph Brant Hospital recognizes the need to continue protecting the health and safety of its patients and healthcare workers as the province of Ontario enters into the next phase of its re-opening plan. While the opportunity to enter public spaces such as restaurants or sports venues is a welcome change, COVID-19 remains transmissible to vulnerable individuals receiving care in healthcare settings.
Effective March 1, Joseph Brant Hospital will be easing limits on Essential Care Partners (ECPs); however, the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for ECPs will remain unchanged, with very limited exceptions.
We have made the following changes to the limits on ECPs in hospital, understanding the important role they play in a patient’s care, wellness and recovery:
Ambulatory care: One (1) ECP may attend with a patient.
Emergency care: The patient may identify up to two (2) ECPs. Only one (1) ECP can be at patient’s side at any time.
In-patient care: Two (2) ECPs are allowed at the bedside at the same time.
Person in labour: Two (2) ECPs are permitted including a Doula, if applicable.
In-patient end of life: Patients expected to pass within 72 hours are permitted up to four one-time, two-hour visits. Additional ECPs are permitted above those originally identified. Only two (2) ECPs may be at the bedside at a time.
Patients under 18 years of age: Two (2) parents/legal guardians are permitted to accompany the patient or attend the bedside at the same time.
All ECPs must complete a COVID-19 screening before coming to the hospital. Those who fail screening due to vaccination status will not be permitted entry with very limited exceptions. Existing personal protective equipment (PPE) policies, including masking, also remain in effect.
“As we gradually plan for the resumption of surgical care in the coming months, we will continue to place the highest priority on the safety of our patients and healthcare workers, who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic,” said Eric Vandewall, President and CEO. “We look forward to seeing a further downward trend in the numbers of COVID-19 cases in our community, and will continue to re-evaluate our policies accordingly, with input from our patients, their families and our staff. We appreciate the understanding of our community.”
Wherever possible, patients are encouraged to connect with their loved ones by email, telephone or by video. To help keep them connected, we are offering free in-room phone and Wi-Fi.
The City of Burlington will follow the direction from the Provincial government and will no longer require visitors to City recreational facilities to show proof of vaccination as of March 1.
Masks, physical distancing and active screening are still required until further notice.
More information will be shared if there are additional impacts to recreation facilities or programs once the full regulations are released by the province.
Chris Glenn, Director of Recreation, Community and Culture said: “Regardless of any changes, our staff will always work to providing the safest and highest quality programming we can offer. Please be patient with staff as we work through implementing any change and as we take cautious steps on the journey to fully reopening our facilities and programs.”
I wouldn’t throw out the card yet or delete it from my cell phone. Wait until the pandemic gets renamed to an endemic.
The province moves into a new part of the Roadmap to Recovery with many restrictions being lifted.
Halton Regional Medical Officer of Health Hamida Meghani told Regional Council yesterday that while things are certainly a lot better than they were in January it is still important that people be vigilant – “wear your mask when you are with people who are not part of your bubble”.
Dr. Meghani displayed some graphics that show the stages this pandemic has gone through adding that the virus is still very much with us.
The degree to which the Omicron variant impacted the province. The concern is that there could be another variant working its way towards us. The defence is ensuring that everyone is fully vaccinated.
Provinc- level testing has been cut back but the Region has been testing the effluents at the waste water treatment plants in the Region and reported that the level of the virus in the community is stable with none of the waste water treatment plants showing increases.
Testing results from waste water treatment plants
Dr. Meghani stresses again and again that this virus is passed from person to person and that the most effective way to prevent that from happening is to wear a properly fitted mask.
She produced a graphic that explains it all – adding that being fully vaccinated lessens the chances of an infection taking hold.
Look at the graphic carefully – it shows the path the virus takes.
The virus on the left and the route it takes getting to you.
Ontario is distributing FREE COVID RAPID TESTS to the general population as supply increases.
Starting today, over 2,300 participating grocery and pharmacy locations — including 32 locations in Burlington — will provide free rapid tests, with a limit of one box of five tests per household per visit.
A list of participating retailers as well as information on how retail locations are distributing rapid test kits can be found at Ontario.ca/rapidtest
Update to Feb. 5 GO-VAXX Indoor Walk-In Clinics schedule
Feb. 5 schedule is now as follows:
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. : Adult Pfizer for ages 12 to 29 years of age
4 p.m. – 5 p.m. : Moderna for ages 30 years of age and older
5 p.m. – 6 p.m. : Paediatric Pfizer for ages 5 (on the day of the clinic) to 11 years of age
The GO-VAXX Indoor Walk-In Clinics will take place at Sherwood Forest Park. No appointment required.
Links and Resources
COVID-19 Resources
• For information about COVID-19 in Halton Region, including the latest public health guidance and the status of COVID-19 cases, please visit halton.ca/coronavirus
o COVID-19 Vaccine information
• Community questions and requests regarding City of Burlington services can be directed to Service Burlington by phone at 905-335-7777, by email at city@burlington.ca or online.
New and returning donors needed to support patients through Omicron
JAN. 31, 2022 (OTTAWA) – Canadian Blood Services is calling for new and returning donors to replenish the blood, platelet and plasma supply and support patients through the latest COVID-19 wave.
The platelet inventory and days on hand of several blood types are at low levels. This is a pivotal time to reverse concerning trends and ensure that we fill all available appointments in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces.
“Like other organizations across Canada, the latest COVID-19 wave is challenging Canadian Blood Services like never before,” says Dr. Graham Sher, CEO, Canadian Blood Services.
“As Omicron continues to spread across the country, it is also impacting our operations. Our employees and donors are among those falling ill or being required to isolate. For these reasons, and also because of severe weather in parts of the country, we’ve seen a concerning drop in donations recently. By booking appointments over the next several weeks, donors can help us reverse this worrying trend before the situation becomes urgent.”
In addition, Canada needs many more donors, new and returning, to help us meet patient needs now and into the future. Since the pandemic began, the number of donors in Canada has been steadily declining. Regular donors impacted by the latest wave of COVID-19 can’t give if they are sick or required to isolate.
One in two people in Canada are eligible to donate blood, plasma, and platelets, but only one in 81 does. This donour is at the 100 donations level.
“Today, new donors are more important than ever. One in two people in Canada are eligible to donate blood, plasma, and platelets, but only one in 81 does. The problem is that we’re relying on a very small group of people to meet the needs of the country,” says Dr. Sher.
“Whether you choose to donate blood or plasma this week, next week or next month, all donors are an important part of Canada’s Lifeline. We also need donors to continue to be patient, and adapt with us, through this period of change and uncertainty. Lives depend on it,” he says.
People ineligible to donate whole blood may be eligible to donate plasma. Since the red blood cells are returned to the donor’s body and only the plasma is taken, donors can give plasma much more frequently. Men can donate every week and women are able to give every two weeks.
If you’ve never donated before, and are well and able to leave home, please book an appointment. If you can’t book an appointment to donate right away, please consider booking one for next month.
Canadian Blood Services is considered an essential service and exempt from lockdown orders. Same day and open appointments spots are available every day at many donor centres and community events across the country.
Visit blood.ca or download the GiveBlood app today to book or change a blood donation appointment, find a donor centre or check your eligibility to donate blood or plasma.
About Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services is a not-for-profit charitable organization. Regulated by Health Canada as a biologics manufacturer and primarily funded by the provincial and territorial ministries of health, Canadian Blood Services operates with a national scope, infrastructure and governance that make it unique within Canadian healthcare. In the domain of blood, plasma and stem cells, we provide services for patients on behalf of all provincial and territorial governments except Quebec. The national transplant registry for interprovincial organ sharing and related programs reaches into all provinces and territories, as a biological lifeline for Canadians. We used to know it as the Red Cross.
Days after announcing that levels 4, 5 and 6 of Joseph Brant Hospital had been cleared of the Covid19 outbreak, the hospital announced that there has been an outbreak on Unit 6 South 200 (6S200) where two patients tested positive for COVID-19.
All appropriate precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of patients, Essential Care Partners (ECPs), staff and physicians.
Staff struggle to keep up with new Covid19 infections at JBH
Joseph Brant Hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control team and Employee Health Services are ensuring all patients on the unit, along with staff and physicians who have been or may have been exposed, are being contacted, monitored, tested as required and self-isolating in keeping with Public Health guidelines. Patients on the unit are in isolation as of January 29 and have been instructed to continue the 10-day self-isolation when discharged from hospital.
A number of enhanced safety measures are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the safety of our patients, staff and physicians. This includes closing 6S200 to new patient admissions and placing patients on enhanced droplet and contact precautions.
In addition, ECPs are no longer permitted to enter the unit except under very limited circumstances in consultation with the patient’s care team. Patients can still connect with their loved ones by telephone and video – both telephone and WiFi are available at no cost. Patients and their loved ones can visit the hospital website for information on how to book a video visit: www.josephbranthospital.ca/en/patients-and-visitors/visiting-hours.asp
JBH is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to work closely with Halton Region Public Health to bring a safe end to the outbreak as soon as possible. Patients or loved ones who have questions or concerns can contact a member of the JBH Patient Relations team at 905-632-3737 ext. 4949 or by email patientrelations@josephbranthospital.ca.
It was a tough one – three different floors of the Joseph Brant Hospital were at one time working flat out to cope with Covid 19 outbreaks.
The hospital announced minutes ago, in consultation with Halton Public Health, that the outbreak has been declared over on inpatient Unit 4N700 and 5N400,
The outbreak on 4N700 was declared on January 12, 2022. In total, 11 patients and 5 staff contracted COVID-19. All appropriate actions were taken to ensure the safety of our patients, staff and physicians.
We thank our staff whose expertise and teamwork brought this outbreak to a close. Our thoughts are with those whose well-being may have been impacted during this outbreak.
Essential caregivers and support persons are now able to visit patients on 4N700 and 5N400 in accordance with the inpatient visitor policy outlined on the Joseph Brant Hospital website at: www.josephbranthospital.ca/visitors
Joseph Brant Hospital remains vigilant in following the Infection Prevention and Control safety measures in place to protect our patients, our staff and our physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Joseph Brant Hospital
Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) is a full-service community teaching hospital located in the growing and thriving community of Burlington, Ontario, serving more than 185,000 residents in Halton, Hamilton, Waterdown, Flamborough, Milton and Stoney Creek. It is honoured to be recognized as one of Hamilton Niagara’s Top Employers for five (5) consecutive years, with a skilled staff of 194 physicians, 1,911 full- and part-time staff and more than 700 volunteers.
JBH is a Clinical Education site in conjunction with McMaster University, and designated as an Academic Community Teaching Hospital. Its expanded campus includes the state-of-art Michael Lee-Chin & Family Patient Tower, featuring a new Emergency Department, 172 acute inpatient beds, 9 new Operating Rooms and post-anaesthetic care unit to support expanded medical, surgical and outpatient services. JBH is also a partner member of the Burlington Ontario Health Team.
JBH inspires and empowers a culture of caring and this is demonstrated in many ways in our commitment to the health, safety and well-being of our people.
A reader we hear from often was a little on the grouchy side yesterday.
He suggested that we ask the Liberals who represent Burlington in the House of Commons why why Canadians are being ripped off by paying HST on this compulsory Covid19 PCR tests.
Ontario today reported 4,114 COVID-19 hospitalizations, 590 in the ICU and 64 deaths; is this what the Minister of Health meant by a “glimmer of hope”?
Yesterday Premier Doug Ford announced when and how he would open up the province and return to normal business.
January 31st
restrictions would be reduced.
February 21st restrictions would be reduced even further.
March 14th restrictions would disappear.
Setting out information like this might be good politics but it is bad public health practice.
Once again the Premier got it wrong.
What he needed to say was that when hospitalizations are at ??? and ICU patients are at ??? THEN restrictions will be lowered.
It is decisions made by individuals that will bring down the number of people infected and the number of hospitalizations.
Stop the bromides Mr. Premier. Let people take responsibility and when the data indicates that people are being responsible, then lift the restrictions. I, too, want to go out to a restaurant for dinner – but I don’t want to compromise my health.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
Both GO-VAXX Indoor Walk-In Clinics will take place at Sherwood Forest Park. No appointment required.
GO-VAXX Indoor Walk-In Clinic details:
Dates: Saturday Jan. 22, 2022 and Saturday Feb. 5, 2022
Time: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Location: Sherwood Forest Park at 5270 Fairview St., Burlington
Both GO-VAXX Indoor Clinics are walk-ins. First, second, third and pediatric doses will be administered at the clinics as per the following schedule and guidelines on both days:
10 a.m. –3 p.m. : Moderna for ages 30 years of age and older
3:15 – 4:45 p.m. : Adult Pfizer for ages 12 to 29 years of age
5 – 6 p.m. : Pediatric Pfizer: ages 5 (on the day of the clinic) to 11 years of age
Each clinic can deliver 320 vaccines in a day.
Additional information is available for getting the COVID-19 vaccine and Who Can Get Vaccinated from the Province.
There will be approximately 320 vaccine doses administered during each vaccine clinic.
These GO-VAXX Indoor Walk-In Clinics are in additionto the two GO-VAXX Mobile Bus Clinics at Sherwood Forest Park on Monday, Jan. 24 and Monday, Jan. 31.
The City of Burlington actively submitted an application to the Province of Ontario for the Go-VAXX Indoor Walk-In Clinics and the GO-VAXX Mobile Bus Clinics to come to our city. The Province of Ontario operates these vaccination clinics as part of the province’s strategy to get COVID-19 vaccines to Ontarians. The number of available vaccinations at the clinics is determined by the Province of Ontario. The City sought to support vaccination efforts by securing an appropriate local site to host these clinics to share additional vaccine opportunities with Burlington residents. In addition to these opportunities, there are many other ways to receive your COVID-19 vaccine, including at Halton Region clinics, pharmacies, community and pediatric clinics and doctors’ offices. Halton Region Covid-19 vaccination clinic information can be found at Halton – COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics.
Marianne Marianne Meed Ward wearing the Chain of Office while she presides over a council meeting.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward explains how these additional opportunities to get vaccinated came about: “Vaccinations are typically provided by the Province and administered by Halton Region Public Health, local pharmacies or doctors’ offices. So, when we learned of an opportunity recently for the City to work with the Province directly to bring additional clinics to Burlington, we jumped on it.
“These additional clinics provide yet another opportunity to get your first, second or booster shots faster than you otherwise would have been able to, and will help in our collective efforts to slow down the spread and severity of COVID-19. Thank you to all those who are stepping up to get vaccinated, and to everyone who has already done so. If you are still waiting to get vaccinated, please take advantage of this additional opportunity to do so.
“This helps protect you, your family and friends, our whole community and hospital capacities.”
COVID, since day one of the pandemic, has had a stigma attached to it. Unless one was a resident in congregate living or a front-line worker at a health centre, school, factory or grocery store, catching COVID was because of carelessness.
Omicron has changed all that. The virus has spread so extensively and quickly that probably one in three people you know can now claim to have had symptoms; mostly a mild cold if they had been appropriately vaccinated. Instead of being ashamed people are beginning to wear COVID, almost, like a badge of honour.
Was the Omicron variant of Covid19 a glimpse of what the public was going to have to face for years ?
And that is sad because the latest variant has filled our hospitals and shut down elective surgery. As we hit 4000 admissions with 600 in the ICU and 40 people a day dying, it should be clear that the term ‘mild’ is just so inappropriate. While the new variant seems to be taking aim at younger people, it is still taking a toll on more vulnerable seniors.
4000 admissions a day is a lot of hospital beds. To that end, the federal government has purchased some $300 million worth of field hospital units, which could be quickly assembled.
Something like this was erected near Burlington’s Jo Brant hospital earlier in the epidemic. But these kits are mostly still sitting in a warehouse waiting for hospitals to have enough staff to use them. And that is the problem. COVID, particularly this latest variant not only has filled beds but it is also emptying the wards of sick and overworked staff who would attend to those beds.
There have been a number of articles published recently querying Canada’s health care system. Of course, it really is 13 provincial/territorial systems delivering health care under the auspices of the federal government and the Canada Health Act. The Act gives us universal care and a single insurer.
The bottom line, when all is said and done, is that Canada’s health care compares favourably with other nations, even during COVID. We’re not the lowest cost per capita, but still operate at a lower cost per capita than Germany, Sweden and a host of other European nations. And besides enjoying better health outcomes, Canadians spend less than half what our southern neighbours do.
Health care had become a political football
Critics like the Fraser Institute, a right wing think tank, will never be content with a single payer public health system. Yet they fail to appreciate that the private sector is more involved in delivering health care (30%) here than in many other nations.
We have privatized the delivery of diagnostic, hernia repair, colonoscopy, cardiac care and other aspects – taking these services out of the hospitals and into private clinics, though they are still covered by our single payer insurance.
Politicians seeking election always promise to add more hospital beds, as Mr. Ford did last election. It’s as if more beds is some kind of panacea – will fix what is wrong with the system. But beds only work if there is staff to care for the people in those beds. And that situation has only got worse with this pandemic. When 20-30% of nursing staff are home sick and unable to work, and many are so burned out they are leaving the profession, we have a real problem.
At the beginning of the epidemic lawn signs seemed to be popping up everywhere thanking our front-line heroes for their tireless efforts to save us. But not everyone felt that way. In Alberta, as the second wave was receding, Jason Kenny determined in his mind that it was all over and decided to fire 11,000 health care workers. Then, as if to add insult to injury, he set out to roll wages back by 3%.
Kenny, buoyed with false optimism, also lifted all public health restrictions, making Alberta a living example of the real wild west. A crisis of his own making ensued as the virus surged back with a vengeance collapsing Alberta’s health care system and swamping its hospitals with sick and dying. In the end he had to call in the feds to bail the province out.
Nurses were being pushed to the limit and felt they weren’t getting the support they needed. The burnout rate was very high.
And it wasn’t just Alberta. The Ford government in Ontario has a philosophical problem with unions, but especially those in the broader public sector. So Ford introduced Bill 124 to cap all public service salaries at an annual 1% increase, even as inflation has recently climbed to almost 5%. Is it any wonder that nurses in this province are now in full flight to better paying jobs?
Long term care (LTC) in Ontario, and across much of the country, is an idea badly in need of re-invention. Ontario is losing Minister Rod Phillips, who some consider the most/only competent minister in Ford’s government, providing we forgive him for breaking COVID rules and flying south in the midst of a nasty wave of COVID in the province. Still, he had brought in some accountability, such as re-introducing the spot inspections of facilities, which Mr. Ford had cancelled soon after becoming premier.
But it’ll take more than that to fix LTC for our seniors, including facilitating people staying longer in their homes, if at all feasible. And it will take national standards which the feds have promised. Indeed a national LTC act with appropriate federal funding would be an excellent companion to what the feds have initiated at the other end of the age scale with child care… and, of course, the Canada Health Act itself.
Canadians overwhelmingly support our universal, single payer health care system, with some surveys running as high as 86% approval. But it could always be made better. We could add pharmacare, for example, something the previous provincial government in Ontario had been moving towards. We could put more effort into reducing wait times for elective surgery, especially in geographically remote places where specialists are difficult to find.
And we could start to treat our health care front-line workers, and especially nursing staff, with the respect they deserve. We should pay them what they are worth and maybe start putting up those ‘thank you’ signs again.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington wherehe ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. He developed the current policy process for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Ontario reported 4,183 people were hospitalized with COVID-19; 580 are in ICU units; at least 7,086 new cases have been reported as of Tuesday the 18th at 10:23 am.
82.1 per cent of patients admitted to the ICU were admitted for COVID-19 and 17.9 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have tested positive for COVID-19.
Metrolinx has partnered with the Government of Ontario to operate a fleet of mobile COVID vaccine clinics to get more needles into arms at a critical time in the pandemic.
The popular mobile clinics – known as GO-VAXX buses – are retrofitted GO Transit buses and there are now five of them on the road. This is up from the original three buses.
The GO-VAXX buses go all over Ontario loaded with trained medical staff that can deliver about 250 to 300 COVID-19 vaccine doses per day. The mobile clinics make it easier for many people to get their first, second, third or child doses.
The easy-to-spot buses have been so sought after especially once Omicron began to rapidly spread, appointments are now required. This prevents people waiting in long lines during the winter.
One of five GO-VAXX buses ready to hit the road. (Metrolinx photo)
Just how popular have the GO-VAXX buses been?
Since last summer, more than 30,000 doses have been administered. Most importantly, the buses help get into rural areas and other hard to reach communities that might not have nearby clinics. This includes communities outside the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including eastern and western Ontario. They are also fully accessible.
The plan is to expand the GO-VAXX fleet even more in the coming weeks and months.
The COVID-19 outbreak that was declared on Unit 4 North 700 (4N700) on January 12 has extended to an additional unit, 5 North 400 (5N400), as of January 17.
Prior to that there was an outbreak on the 6th floor.
Three additional patients and four healthcare workers have now tested positive for COVID-19. These new infections are associated with the original outbreak on 4N700 that infected five patients.
Joseph Brant Hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control team and Employee Health Services are ensuring all patients on the unit, along with staff and physicians who have been or may have been exposed, are being contacted, monitored, tested as required and self-isolating in keeping with Public Health guidelines.
Patients on the unit are in isolation as of January 17 and will receive instructions on home self-isolation requirements when being discharged from the hospital. 5N400 is closed to new patient admissions. In addition, Essential Care Providers (ECPs) and visitors are not permitted in the unit, with limited exceptions as determined by the nurse manager. ECPs are asked to speak to the care team with questions around access to the unit. Patients can still connect with their loved ones by telephone and video – both telephone and WiFi are available at JBH at no cost.
Joseph Brant Hospital is advising anyone who may have recently visited 5N400 to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms. Please consult the Halton Region website for more information if you are experiencing symptoms or had exposure to someone who is COVID-19 positive or experiencing symptoms.
JBH is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to work with Halton Region Public Health to bring a safe end to the outbreak as soon as possible. Patients or loved ones who have questions or concerns can contact a member of the care team or JBH Patient Relations team at 905-632-3737 ext. 4949 or by email patientrelations@josephbranthospital.ca.
An outbreak has been declared on Unit 4 North 700 (4N700) at Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) after five patients tested positive for COVID-19.
All appropriate precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of patients, Essential Care Providers (ECPs), staff and physicians.
This is the second Covid19 outbreak announced by the hospital in the past ten days.
Joseph Brant Hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control team and Employee Health Services are ensuring all patients on the unit, along with staff and physicians who have been or may have been exposed, are being contacted, monitored, tested as required and self-isolating in keeping with Public Health guidelines. Patients on the unit are in isolation as of January 11 and have been instructed to continue the 10-day self-isolation when discharged from hospital.
A number of enhanced safety measures are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the safety of patients, staff and physicians. This includes closing 4N700 to new patient admissions. In addition, ECPs are no longer permitted to enter the unit except under exceptional circumstances in consultation with the patient’s care team. Patients can still connect with their loved ones by telephone and video – both telephone and WiFi are available at no cost.
JBH is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to work closely with Halton Region Public Health to bring a safe end to the outbreak as soon as possible. Patients or loved ones who have questions or concerns can contact a member of the JBH Patient Relations team at 905-632-3737 ext. 4949 or by email patientrelations@josephbranthospital.ca.
By Staff
By Pepper Parr
By Staff
Effective March 1, Joseph Brant Hospital will be easing limits on Essential Care Partners (ECPs); however, the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for ECPs will remain unchanged, with very limited exceptions.
By Staff
Masks, physical distancing and active screening are still required until further notice.
By Pepper Parr
By Staff
By Staff
By Staff
We thank our staff whose expertise and teamwork brought this outbreak to a close. Our thoughts are with those whose well-being may have been impacted during this outbreak.
By Pepper Parr
By Pepper Parr
Yesterday Premier Doug Ford announced when and how he would open up the province and return to normal business.
By Staff
By Ray Rivers
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. He developed the current policy process for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Ontario reported 4,183 people were hospitalized with COVID-19; 580 are in ICU units; at least 7,086 new cases have been reported as of Tuesday the 18th at 10:23 am.
By Staff
Joseph Brant Hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control team and Employee Health Services are ensuring all patients on the unit, along with staff and physicians who have been or may have been exposed, are being contacted, monitored, tested as required and self-isolating in keeping with Public Health guidelines.