It’s been over a week since Step 1 of Ontario’s reopening plan commenced, and the numbers have reached a stabilizing point. 
 
This past weekend, 3 new cases were added in Clarence-Rockland, bringing our total number of active cases to 6, and 12 active cases in the United Counties of Prescott Russell as a whole. Two are currently in the hospital, with one in the ICU.  There are currently no outbreaks.
 
Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Chief Medical Officer of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU), reminds us that with everything beginning a slow re-opening we still need to adhere to covid-19 measures, and to get vaccinated as soon as possible. 
 
In terms of vaccination rates, the EOHU is to receive more allocations over the next couple of weeks, resulting in 7 more clinics being ready for operation. 
Each clinic will be able to administer over 1000 vaccines. Additionally, in order to vaccinate more individuals, those who have received their first dose of Astrazeneca can receive their second dose as early as 8 weeks after their first dose. 
 
Dr. Paul also mentions that those who received a first dose of a mRNA based vaccine (Pfzier, Moderna), are able to receive a 2nd dose of the mRNA vaccine of their choice. 
 
With Pharmacies and primary care also receiving larger amounts of vaccine allocations, Dr. Paul says that the vaccine supply and the rate that we can vaccinate everyone is increasing favourably. Dr. Paul mentions that guidance and regulation documents for organized sports (indoor and outdoor) will be coming soon as we progress closer to stages 2 and 3 in the reopening plan.
 
On a final note, with summer and day camps reopening, Dr. Paul reminds parents to make sure their kids are socially distancing, and that summer camps that require kids to wear masks at all times will be reviewed by the health unit on a case by case basis, to determine whether or not the rule is needed.