Human case of West Nile in EOHU

With the month of November upon us, Dr. Paul  Roumeliotis, Chief Medical Officer of the EOHU, addresses the public with weekly Covid-19 updates.

Across Ontario, case numbers, ICU admissions, have begun to stabilize. In the EOHU, there are 124 active cases, with 56 in the UCPR, and 8 in Clarence-Rockland. In addition, there are 11 hospitalizations (2 in the ICU), and 4 ongoing outbreaks.

Dr. Paul goes on to display several graphs that outline the different factors and demographics during the past few months of the pandemic.  Some stand-out information includes how in the 14-day increase graph EOHU case numbers have gone down by nearly 60% since October 16th, positive tests are going downwards in school-age kids. 

Another interesting point was how one graph shows the effectiveness of the vaccine in regards to symptomatic infections and severe outcomes (going to the hospital, etc.) by age group, stressing the need to get a third dose for older age groups.

In all these graphs, the theme that was emphasized by Dr. Paul was that the majority of people who were positive were not fully vaccinated.

In regards to the vaccination rates, 91% of the 12+ population have received their first dose, while 86.8% have received both doses. The EOHU continues to make progress in getting the younger demographics vaccinated, with their numbers slowly rising.

Wastewater positivity continues to show its potential as an early warning system for Covid-19, as shown in a graph by Dr. Paul. Every time the wastewater positivity went up at the Hawkesbury and Cornwall plants, so did the number of cases. 

Towards the end, Dr. Paul addresses the need for everyone to get their flu shot even if they already had their Covid-19 shot, citing that since both share similar symptoms, people might mistakenly think they have Covid-19 when in reality it is just the flu. If people get vaccinated for the flu as well as Covid-19, there is sufficient protection against both viruses, and potential resources that could be used to fight Covid-19 won’t be misused on people who have the flu. 

On a final note, Dr. Paul also mentions a positive human case of the West Nile Virus that has been found in the EOHU. Dr. Paul reminds everyone that although for the majority getting the virus is not serious, a small minority (which includes the elderly) can become extremely ill, and the importance of protecting others by protecting yourself. Additionally, it is mentioned the disease can only be passed through mosquitos that carry the virus, and not from human to human.