North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit backs more restrictions if hospitals become clogged
The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit says it is looking at changing the way it updates COVID-19 case counts in the region from reporting all cases to only sharing data on hospital admissions and people in ICU.
The health unit has identified more than 800 positive cases in the North Bay and Parry Sound districts in the last two weeks and said the landscape of the pandemic has changed.
“These cases are a vast underrepresentation of the number of people that have COVID-19 in our district because of the limited capacity for testing,” said the health unit’s public health physician Dr. Carol Zimbalatti.
The health unit said Thursday it is looking at adjusting the way it reports future cases by only providing data on the number of hospitalizations, ICU admissions and people on ventilators.
“We will be looking at our dashboard and what we are reporting so it provides the most meaningful picture of what is happening with the pandemic locally,” said Zimbalatti.
The health unit’s reporting is modelled after the province when deciding what information is most critical for the public.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jim Chirico said if hospitalizations continue to rise, he would back tighter restrictions in the region.
“It’s really trying to find the balance between economics and health, as well as the mental and physical well-being of students in school and the general public,” Chirico said.
Ontario health officials reported Thursday more than 300 people with COVID-19 are in intensive care units across the province, as hospitals struggle to cope with rising admissions.
For several days, the province has reported a daily increase in ICU admissions and hospitalizations. The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 rose from 2,081 on Wednesday to 2,279 on Thursday. Intensive care unit admissions jumped from 288 to 319.
The province said that of the 319 people in the ICU with COVID-19, 232 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 87 are fully vaccinated.
It’s been almost two years since the beginning of the pandemic and Chirico is the first to admit that he believed it would be over by now.
“We’ve learned a lot and we’ve got a lot of things in place,” he said. “We’ve made mistakes but we’ve learned from them.”
In the North Bay and Parry Sound Districts, there are 443 active COVID-19 cases. Nine people in the region have lost their lives to the virus. More than 85 per cent of people 12 and older are fully vaccinated.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Key mediator Qatar urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a cease-fire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
BREAKING Quebec to invest $603 million to protect the French language
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Dozens in Italy give a fascist salute on the anniversary of Mussolini's execution
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.