Kanata North COVID-19 Update April 23

Good evening Kanata North, 

Thank you for your continued interest and feedback on these daily updates.  As long as this pandemic continues and all levels of government are hard at work in supporting residents in navigating the crisis, I will continue to provide these updates. Please feel free to reach out anytime with any questions, concerns or if you need any assistance. 

Kanata North Update: 

  • The weather is getting nice, and I expect people will be getting outside to enjoy the good weather these next few days. This makes for busy sidewalks and pathways. Please remember to give others 2 metres of personal space as you pass. Move into the adjacent lawns and boulevards where you are able, to ensure appropriate spacing. 
  • Last week I spoke with GDG about their strategy to improve the results from the Kanata North Mosquito Program. There will be some changes to the program this year, which include larger treatment areas. We expect to see improvements in the results. You can read more information here. 
  • Understanding the need for vulnerable individuals to easily get their groceries, stores including Metro and Farmboy will be rolling out a system that prioritizes these individuals for online and over the phone ordering. The priority system is expected to roll out within the next week. Thank you to the Beaverbrook Community Association for sharing this new information!  I will continue to keep the #ShopLocal list on my website updated with this information. Look for the asterisk (*) to indicate stores using this new system.  
  • Walking through the community and seeing the growing number of Canadian flags hung proudly fills me with joy. It is a great reminder of the solidary we are showing by staying home and the appreciation we have for our front-line workers. Keep it up Kanata North! We are all in this together! 

Ottawa Public Health /City of Ottawa Update: 

The Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and the City of Ottawa provided the following updates today: 

  • OPH has shared there are now 977 cases, including 34 new cases. Tragically, three more individuals have passed due to the coronavirus bringing the total number of deaths in Ottawa to 35. 
  • Earlier this week, I provided an update on the Human Needs Task Force with Mayor Jim Watson and Donna Gray, General Manager of Community Services. The team is hard at work protecting the city’s most vulnerable through the pandemic. They have established ways to provide essential services and supports while following the safety recommendations provided by OPH. Essential services include: 
    • Food security 
    • Wellness checks 
    • Support for rural and isolated seniors 
    • Community and family shelters 
    • Individuals experiencing homelessness 
    • Screening controls in shelters 
    • Basic support for homelessness 
    • Financial support to individuals and families 
  • OC Transpo has confirmed another bus driver has tested positive for COVID-19. The operator has been in self-isolation since showing symptoms on April 19. OPH and OC Transpo are working closely to connect with anyone who may have been in close contact with the individual. With the new precautions OC Transpo has implemented to protect residents and staff, the risk of transmission to riders is very low. The operator drove three buses on the key dates, serving the following routes: 
  • Friday, April 17, 2020
    • Route 111: Baseline Station 5:35 a.m. to Billings Bridge Station 6:08 a.m. 
    • Route 44: Billings Bridge Station 6:15 a.m. to Hurdman Station 6:44 a.m. 
    • Route 44: Hurdman Station 6:48 a.m. to Billings Bridge Station 7:18 a.m. 
    • Route 111: Billings Bridge Station 7:27 a.m. to Baseline Station 8 a.m. 
    • Route 111: Baseline Station 8:05 a.m. to Billings Bridge Station 8:38 a.m. 
    • Route 44: Billings Bridge Station 8:45 a.m. to Hurdman Station 9:14 a.m. 
    • Route 44: Hurdman Station 9:18 a.m. to Billings Bridge Station 9:48 a.m. 
    • Route 111: Billings Bridge Station 9:57 a.m. to Baseline Station 10:30 a.m. 
    • Route 111: Baseline Station 10:35 a.m. to Billings Bridge Station 11:11 a.m. 
    • Route 44: Billings Bridge Station 11:22 to Hurdman Station 11:51 a.m. 
    • Route 44: Hurdman Station 12 p.m. to Billings Bridge Station 12:31 p.m. 
    • Route 44: Billings Bridge Station 12:37 p.m. to Hurdman Station 1:06 p.m. 
    • Route 44: Hurdman Station 1:15 p.m. to Billings Bridge Station 1:46 p.m. 
    • Route 44: Billings Bridge Station 1:52 p.m. to Hurdman Station 2:21 p.m. 
  • Saturday, April 18, 2020
    • Route 75: Rideau Centre 4:09 a.m. to Barrhaven Centre 4:54 a.m. 
    • Route 75: Barrhaven Centre 4:58 a.m. to Rideau Centre E 5:42 a.m. 
    • Route 42: Hurdman 6:10 a.m. to Blair 6:40 a.m. 
    • Route 34: Blair Station 6:47 a.m. to Renaud & Saddleridge Drive 7:17 a.m. 
    • Route 34: Renaud & Saddleridge Drive 7:17 a.m. to Blair Station 7:55 a.m. 
    • Route 42: Blair Station 8:05 a.m. to Hurdman Station 8:34 a.m. 
    • Route 42: Hurdman Station 8:40 a.m. to Blair Station 9:10 a.m. 
    • Route 34: Blair Station 9:17 a.m. to Renaud & Saddleridge Drive 9:47 a.m. 
    • Route 34: Renaud & Saddleridge Drive 9:47 a.m. to Blair Station 10:25 a.m. 
    • Route 42: Blair Station 10:35 a.m. to Hurdman Station 11:04 a.m. 
    • Route 42: Hurdman Station 11:10 a.m. to Blair Station 11:40 a.m. 
  • Sunday, April 19, 2020 
    • Route 48: Hurdman Station 7:27 a.m. to Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre 8:01 a.m. 
    • Route 48: Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre 8:05 a.m. to Hurdman Station 8:36 a.m. 
    • Route 9: Hurdman Station 8:45 a.m. to Daly Avenue & Nicholas Street intersection 9:10 a.m. 
    • Route 9: Daly Avenue & Nicholas Street intersection 9:12 a.m. to Hurdman Station 9:39 a.m. 
    • Route 46: Hurdman Station 10:05 a.m. to Billings Bridge Station 10:40 a.m. 

Provincial Update: 

The Ontario Government provided the following updates: 

  • Based on advice from the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Government of Ontario has extended all emergency orders until at least May 6th. This will include the closure of outdoor amenities in parks and recreational areas, non-essential workplaces, along with restrictions on social gatherings, and limiting staff from working in more than one retirement home or long-term care home. Here are some of the emergency orders that the Province has taken to try and limit the spread of COVID-19, which will be continuing: 
  • To ensure those who need to continue to receive high quality care, the government is now allowing mental health and addictions agencies to redeploy staff within different locations or between programs, and employ extra part-time staff, temporary staff, or contractors. Agencies would be required to provide appropriate training and education to achieve the purposes of a redeployment plan. 
  • An Action Plan for Vulnerable People to better protect vulnerable populations during the outbreak of COVID-19 is being developed by the Ontario Government. This plan builds on the government’s previous actions to protect people living in high-risk settings, including homes serving those with developmental disabilities, shelters for survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking, children’s residential settings, and those residential settings supporting vulnerable Indigenous individuals and families both on and off reserve. The COVID-19 Action Plan for Vulnerable People focuses on three specific areas: 
    • Enhanced screening and reduced exposure to prevent spread: 
      • Enhancing screening of visitors, staff, and residents on sites, as well as restricting non-essential visitors. 
      • Providing masks to staff working in congregate care settings and providing training on the use of personal protective equipment in the event of an outbreak.   
    • Infection control: Managing outbreaks and limiting spread: 
      • Enhancing testing of symptomatic staff and clients to identify the need for isolation and additional infection control measures on-site. 
      • Planning to limit staff from working at more than one congregate care setting during an outbreak, specifically in developmental services, intervenor services, violence against women and anti-human trafficking settings. 
      • Providing additional training and support for high-risk settings dealing with an outbreak, including guidance on how to isolate clients. 
    • Sustaining staffing and managing staff shortages: 
      • Working with organizations to promote workforce stability and capacity in high-risk settings. 

Federal Update: 

The Federal Government provided the following updates today. 

  • The Government has established the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. It will operate under the direction of a leadership group made up of experts in various medicine and medical research fields. The task force will establish priorities and oversee the coordination of a series of country-wide blood test surveys that will tell us how widely the virus has spread in Canada and provide reliable estimates of potential immunity and vulnerabilities in Canadian populations.  
  • It has invested $40 million into the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), led by Genome Canada, to coordinate a COVID-19 viral and host genome sequencing effort across Canada. This research will help track the virus, its different strains, and how it makes people sick in different ways, providing valuable information to public health officials. The results of this work will be available to researchers globally to support additional research, including Canadian vaccine development efforts.  
  • To help accelerate development of a vaccine against COVID-19, it has invested $23 million for the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac). This funding will support pre-clinical testing and clinical trials, which are essential steps to ensure that a vaccine is effective and safe for human use.  
  • It will invest over $600 million through the Strategic Innovation Fund for two years to support COVID-19 vaccine and therapy clinical trials led by the private sector and Canadian biomanufacturing opportunities.  
  • To improve the data available to health authorities, it has invested $10 million. This will help coordinate and better share data across the country and will enhance Canada’s response to COVID-19. 
  • Over the next two years, the government will invest $10.3 million and $5 million ongoing to support the Immunization Research Network in conducting vaccine-related research and clinical trials, and to enhance Canada’s capacity to monitor vaccine safety and effectiveness. 
  • It will also invest $114.9 million through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for research projects that will accelerate the development, testing, and implementation of medical and social countermeasures to mitigate the rapid spread of COVID-19, as well as its social and health impacts. 
  • Additionally, the Government of Canada will invest over $675,000 through the Stem Cell Network to support two new research projects and one clinical trial. The clinical trial will evaluate safety of a potential cell therapy to reduce the impacts and severity of acute respiratory distress associated with COVID-19, and the two projects will generate critical information about how cells in the airway and brain are affected by the virus. 
  • The Federal Government is also supporting the requests from Ontario and Quebec for military assistance to help with the situation in long term care homes.  

Thank you, Kanata North, for staying the path, for staying home and continuing to respect physical distancing when you are out in the community. You continue to make me immensely proud.