Peterborough Blogs
Peterborough Petes Reducing Fan Capacity By Half After Government Announcement
/Beginning Saturday, the number of spectators permitted at Peterborough Petes home games at the Peterborough Memorial Centre is reduced to 50 per cent capacity announced on Wednesday.
The decision came following the same-day announcement made by the Ontario Government. They ordered the capacity reduction for indoor venues with capacities of 1,000 or more to combat the Omnicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. The cut allows for 2,025 fans to be in attendance.
All Season Ticket Members will be guaranteed their seats for every game. Anyone with tickets for Saturday night’s game is still entitled to attend unless otherwise communicated with by Petes or Box Office staff members.
The Petes will continue to work with Peterborough Public Health and the PMC to ensure that all attendees at home games can participate in a safe and fun environment, and will update fans as the organization learns more about the restrictions in the coming days and weeks.
All fans attending Petes game are reminded to follow public health measures at the PMC, including:
Face coverings are mandatory at all times unless actively eating or drinking in your ticketed seat.
Children under the age of two will not require a face covering/mask.
Physical distancing guidelines must be followed. There are markers on the floor to help people stay a minimum of two metres apart.
Hands must be washed or sanitized regularly. Hand sanitizer is available throughout the facility.
Ticket holders are required to submit a contact tracing form online prior to entry that lists the full name and phone number for each ticket holder in their group. This form also includes a list of active screening questions.
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Ontario Government to Distribute COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests To Peterborough
/The Ontario Government is distributing COVID-19 rapid antigen tests at several locations in Peterborough over the next few weeks to increase access to publicly funded testing announced Wednesday.
Rapid antigen tests provide results in 15-20 minutes after administering the test. Rapid antigen testing is used for screening purposes only and should not be used for diagnosing someone with symptoms or exposure to COVID-19.
A positive result from a rapid antigen test needs to be followed up with a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, which is administered through the Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre or a participating pharmacy then sent to a lab for processing, to confirm the person has COVID-19.
The Ontario Government is distributing rapid antigen tests in Peterborough over the next several weeks at the following locations:
Peterborough Farmers’ Market, Morrow Building, 151 Lansdowne St. W. – 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Sat., Dec. 18, and 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Sat, Jan. 8
Lansdowne Place, 645 Lansdowne St. W. – Dec. 21 to Thu., Dec. 23, 2021 (hours to be determined)
Peterborough Memorial Centre, 151 Lansdowne St. W. – 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sat., Dec. 18 and 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Dec. 27
Peterborough Public Library, 345 Aylmer St. N. – Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
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All Ontarians 18+ Eligible For COVID-19 Booster Appointments at Three-Month Interval Beginning Monday
/The Ontario Government is expanding eligibility for anyone 18 and over with a booster dose rollout to battle the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant beginning on Monday.
Premier Doug Ford made the announcement at Queen’s Park with Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health; Sylvia Jones, Ontario Solicitor General and Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health to provide an update on Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine booster strategy.
The rollout has shortened the interval to three months following an individual’s second dose which previously was no earlier than Jan 4. To provide an additional layer of protection against COVID-19 and variants during the holiday season, Ontario is also launching a holiday testing blitz starting today to offer rapid antigen screening to individuals free of charge at pop-up sites across the province, as well as select LCBO stores across Ontario according to the press release.
“As we combat the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant, nothing matters more than getting these booster doses into people’s arms,” said Premier Doug Ford. “I am issuing a call to arms. We need every member of Team Ontario to stand tall and do their part as we work to protect our hard-fought progress and keep Ontarians safe.”
Anyone eligible can schedule their booster dose appointment through Ontario’s booking portal by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, through Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, participating pharmacies and primary care settings.
Appointments will be booked three months (84 days) after a second dose as the province urgently expands booster eligibility to millions more individuals. Pharmacies and other channels may provide boosters for 18 and over at the three-month interval starting Friday.
Beginning Wednesday, individuals aged 50 and over as well as all those currently eligible who have already booked their appointment at an interval of six months (168 days) can call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre to re-book for an earlier date at the three-month interval and can change their appointment through Ontario’s booking portal starting on Monday.
“As we continue to learn more about the Omicron variant, we need all hands on deck to help limit transmission and protect our hospital capacity,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “A third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine offers additional protection against the Omicron variant, and I urge everyone to get their booster dose as soon as you can. If you haven’t received your first or second dose of the vaccine, now is the time.”
To further strengthen its response to Omicron, effective Sunday at 12:01 a.m., Ontario intends to introduce a 50 per cent capacity limit to the following indoor areas of venues with a usual capacity of 1,000 or more:
Facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities
Entertainment facilities such as concert venues, theatres and cinemas
Racing venues
Meeting and event spaces
Studio audiences in commercial film and television production
Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions
Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
Fair, rural exhibitions, and festivals
This measure is being taken to reduce opportunities for close contact in high-risk indoor settings with large crowds and when face coverings/masks are not always worn.
As part of the government’s enhanced testing strategy, starting Wednesday, up to two million rapid tests will be provided free of charge at pop-up testing sites in high-traffic settings such as malls, retail settings, holiday markets, public libraries and transit hubs.
Pop-up teams will be deployed at nearly 50 locations across the province, including some co-located with GO-VAXX mobile vaccine buses. Most sites will distribute free take-home rapid antigen test kits, subject to supply and some will offer asymptomatic rapid antigen screening on-site. The government will also make take-home rapid tests available at select LCBO stores, starting with the busiest stores this week and with more stores being added in the coming days.
Ontarians can visit Ontario.ca/holidaytesting to find out if pop-up rapid antigen screening sites will be available in their area. Locations and operating hours will be updated weekly and no appointment will be required.
The latest available data suggests that the Omicron variant is more transmissible than the Delta variant and will become the dominant variant by the end of the month according to the Ontario Government.
They also say early evidence suggests that a third dose or booster can further increase protection against severe illness and hospitalization. While cases were always expected to rise, the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant could put additional strain on Ontario’s hospital capacity, making it critical that all Ontarians receive their booster dose as soon as possible.
Ontario’s cautious approach and high vaccination rates have contributed to keeping hospital and intensive care unit capacity stable. As of Dec. 15, there were 153 COVID-19 related critical illness patients in ICU. The seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 related critical illness patients in ICU is 154. Approximately 600 ICU beds are available with nearly 500 additional ICU beds available for surge capacity if required.
To quickly scale up capacity to administer up to previous peak vaccination capacity, the province has asked public health units, hospitals, pharmacists, primary care providers and other health care providers to ramp up additional vaccinations sites and prioritize the administration of first, second and booster doses across the province.
On Tuesday, 127,000 vaccines were administered in Ontario, well above recent provincial capacity, and the province is continuing to ramp up to administer 200,000 to 300,000 doses per day by next week based on demand. The province is also partnering with additional health care providers and first responders to support Ontario’s vaccination efforts and administer more shots in arms.
Ontario is engaging with large corporations who have the capabilities to implement workplace and community clinics to support the booster dose rollout for employees, their families and the local community. Bruce Power, in partnership with Grey Bruce Health Unit, will be the first corporate-led vaccine clinic, starting the week of Dec. 20.
In addition, the successful mobile vaccine clinic strategy will be expanded to meet the evolving challenges of COVID-19 and its variants. More information on the corporate and mobile clinics will be available in the coming weeks. The province will also be expanding the Stop the Spread Business Information Line to allow businesses to request vaccine supply to administer on-site for employees. Businesses will need to meet certain criteria to ensure proper storage and safe administration of the vaccines including the availability of health human resources. More information on the corporate and mobile clinics will be available in the coming days.
“Today’s announcement underlines our government’s ongoing priority to keep Ontarians safe while protecting our health care systems and communities from COVID-19 and its variants,” said Sylvia Jones, solicitor general. “We are expanding our efforts to include workplace and mobile vaccine clinics with the support of our health care and corporate partners as well as public health units, to ensure that first, second and booster doses are easily and conveniently accessible across the province to all Ontarians.”
“As we continue to learn more about the Omicron variant we need to do more to strengthen our defence against the virus, and vaccines are the most effective way we can do that,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “If you are eligible for a booster or have not yet had your first or second dose, please come forward to get vaccinated. It will provide you, your loved ones and your community with vital layer of protection throughout the winter season.”
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Peterborough Public Health Seeking Help For COVID-19 Mass Immunization Clinics
/Peterborough Public Health (PPH) is looking for healthcare workers, volunteers and administrative support to aid in the COVID-19 vaccine mass immunization clinics as soon as possible.
The call came from Dr. Thomas Piggott, PPH medical officer of health and CEO in a tweet on Tuesday.
“We are looking to dramatically increase our vaccination efforts in the face of Omnicron at Peterborough Public Health and we need your help,” he tweeted.
We are looking to dramatically increase our vaccination efforts in the face of #omicron at @Ptbohealth & we need your help!
— Dr Thomas Piggott (He/Him) (@twpiggott) December 14, 2021
Online forms are available for anyone who wish to sign up for healthcare workers, volunteers and administrative support.
Volunteer roles include:
Greeter/Screener - welcomes clients, confirms clients have an appointment, screening for COVID-19 related symptoms
Client Flow Monitor - ensures clients are physically distanced, directing clients to vaccination chairs
Runner - carefully transporting containers of pre-filled vaccine syringes from pre-loading area to the vaccination cart
Post Vaccine Monitor - observes clients after they receive their immunization for five minutes, wave/flag to notify Client Flow Monitors that you have an available chair in your row
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Peterborough Public Health Issues Two Letters of Instruction For Workplaces and Food Premises
/Medical Officer of Health Dr. Thomas Piggott issued two Letters of Instruction on Monday for workplaces and food premises designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in high-risk settings as the community braces for the impact of the Omicron variant.
“More stringent measures are needed now in high-risk settings to prevent a surge of COVID-19 cases as other jurisdictions are experiencing,” said Dr. Piggott. “These measures focus on keeping local businesses open while ensuring they can operate safely and protecting staff and patrons.”
Effective December 15, 2021, local workplaces are instructed to shift all non-essential employees to remote work arrangements, except where on-site presence is required. Essential staff who must remain on-site must keep 2 metres physical distance from each other and stagger lunch times to avoid crowded eating areas. If a workspace does not allow for physical distancing (e.g. in vehicles or confined workspaces), workers must wear tightly-fitting masks.
Social gatherings are also prohibited in workplaces, and can only take place in designated event facilities where public health measures can be enforced. Full details can be found in Monday’s Letter of Instruction for Workplaces available here.
Also taking effect on Dec. 15, 2021, food premises will also be expected to comply with the following instructions:
Ensure that the maximum number of patrons seated at each table does not exceed 10 people.
Arrange the premises to ensure that patrons seated at separate tables are distanced by at least 2 metres, or separated by an impermeable barrier.
Allow patrons to consume food and/or beverage only while seated.
Modify buffet-style food service to permit only one table at the buffet at a time, and ensure patrons wear masks at all times when accessing the buffet.
Ensure that all serving staff (including waitstaff and bartenders) are provided with, and wear, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when in close proximity to patrons who are eating and/or drinking. PPE includes the following: A medical-grade, tightly fitting face mask; and Eye protection, such as a face shield or safety glasses.
Advise patrons to wear tightly-fitting face masks when they are not actively eating or drinking. This includes when moving throughout the premises or while socializing at their table.
Dr. Piggott explained that Ontario is experiencing increased rates of transmission of COVID-19, primarily as a result of high circulation of Delta and Omicron variants of concern. Today’s provincial data revealed the majority of cases of COVID-19 are identified as Omicron. Therefore, precautionary measures are needed until a greater proportion of our region has received a third dose of COVID-19 vaccination.
Dr. Piggott went on to say with the emergence of the Omicron variant, it is clear that vaccinated individuals can also transmit the infection. Therefore, multiple strategies are important to reduce the spread of the virus.
“We know transmission is happening in mixed groups of older and younger, vaccinated and unvaccinated, and that is why these protective instructions are required in the Peterborough area,” he said.
Vaccination continues to be strongly recommended by Dr. Piggott as provincial data reveals this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated.
According to data as of Dec. 6, 2021, unvaccinated residents are experiencing more serious health outcomes:
Vaccinated:
8.8 cases per 1,000,000 people in the hospital with COVID-19
3.3 cases per 1,000,000 people in the ICU with COVID-19
Unvaccinated:
164.9 cases per 1,000,000 people in the hospital with COVID-19
94.6 cases per 1,000,000 people in the ICU with COVID-19
For more information visit www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca.
Hospice Peterborough Becomes Accredited Through Hospice Palliative Care Ontario And Achieves Near Perfect Score
/Hospice Peterborough is now officially accredited through Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) with a near-perfect score of 98.67 per cent.
The 98.67 per cent score offers a ‘stamp of approval’ signifying to clients, health professionals, community members and funders that it meets the highest standards for the delivery of consistent, quality service and care and is committed to continual learning and improvement.
“It is with much pride that I sincerely thank our incredible team of staff, board members and volunteers who have all worked so hard – on top of day-to-day duties – to make our dream of accreditation a reality,” said Hospice Peterborough executive director Hajni Hős. “We have demonstrated to healthcare peers that we consistently deliver outstanding care to the community with professionalism and compassion.”
The process involved a vigorous and comprehensive 18-month review of the residence, community programs, services and professional standards including everything from fiscal responsibility to resident safety to professional development for staff. Out of 134 hospice sites across the province, 35 currently hold HPCO accreditation.
Past executive director Linda Sunderland started the accreditation process, before the new building and residence were built on London Street, to ensure all operations were in line with industry standards and best practices.
The process also reviewed aspects such as governance, quality assurance, client care, fundraising and volunteer management. HPCO reviewed, for example, how Hospice Peterborough develops care plans for residents as well as emergency-response plans, volunteer safety and whether the organization is publicly transparent with fundraised dollars.
“Best practices are always evolving and we will never stop looking to learn and improve as an organization and a team,” said Hős.
Accreditation requires ongoing compliance, with regular interim reports, and must be renewed every three years.
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Peterborough Public Health Releases Guidelines For Safe Holiday Celebrations
/As the holiday season approaches, the City of Peterborough and Peterborough Public Health encourage residents to continue to follow all Provincial requirements and public health guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the Province has eased certain restrictions to allow for more activities, Provincial emergency orders remain in effect and the City of Peterborough remains in an emergency declaration.
Recently, the Province has experienced increasing COVID-19 case counts, which emphasizes the need to follow safe practices during the pandemic.
“Our community is doing extremely well in getting vaccinated against COVID-19. We need to keep up those efforts,” Mayor Diane Therrien said. “Getting vaccinated reduces the chances of severe illness if you get COVID-19; however, vaccination doesn’t remove the need to be safe when socializing and celebrating the holidays during the pandemic.
Dr. Thomas Piggott, Medical Officer of Health, reiterated that layering public health measures is the best way to reduce virus transmission.
“It’s the combination of practices such as vaccination, wearing well-made and tightly fitting masks, and distancing that help keep everyone safest,” he said. “It’s also important to recognize that others may have a lower tolerance for risk than you, and to respect their wishes if they prefer to introduce additional precautions.”
When heading out for activities over the holidays, PPH asks that community members remember:
Events and gatherings are exciting, but close contact with non-household members, large crowds, and travelling can increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Holiday activities such as parties, parades, and organized gatherings must meet both local and provincial requirements.
Only participate in holiday activities you know follow COVID-19 safety guidelines, and meet your comfort level.
Follow capacity limits for indoor and outdoor gatherings/events, masking and distancing a minimum 2 metres from non-household members, considering vaccine status, etc.
Outdoor settings are safer than indoors, but there is still risk of COVID-19 transmission, especially among unvaccinated or at-risk groups. Virtual is the safest way to celebrate.
Stay home if you have symptoms and remember to self-screen for COVID-19 before going out.
Guidelines are set out under the Reopening Ontario Act (O.Reg. 364/20) providing direction for safe activities and other public health measures during the pandemic. Under these regulations, there are certain requirements that must be followed if planning holiday celebrations, and recommendations to reduce the risk to yourself and others.
For outdoor gatherings and events (including parades):
Maximum capacity of 100 people outdoors
Parade participants should remember:
If people are not able to maintain 2 metres from non-household members, then you must wear a mask/face covering
Performers in parades should:
Be fully vaccinated, and performers on floats should wear a face covering if unable to distance from others
Avoid crowds as much as possible
If individuals are unvaccinated or from multiple households, consider wearing a mask
Holding an event on City property, including parades on City streets, requires the completion of a special event permit that includes information on safety planning and insurance requirements. Depending on the special event being held, applications are reviewed by police, fire services, and the City’s traffic and public works divisions. Applications are required to be submitted 90 days in advance of an event. Peterborough Public Health would be consulted on public health requirements.
For the City’s Special Event Planning Guide, please visit https://www.peterborough.ca/en/explore-and-play/event-hosting.aspx.
After the Kinsmen Club announced it will not be organizing a Santa Claus parade this year due to the pandemic, the City has not received any applications for holding a Santa Claus parade this year.
Public health requirements and recommendations related to indoor gatherings and events (including private parties):
The maximum capacity for social gatherings in private residences is 25 people indoors.
The maximum capacity for other indoor settings (e.g., food service establishment, banquet hall, event space, etc.) can allow 25 people indoors for a social gathering. Depending on the facility, a higher capacity limit may be granted for businesses and organizations if a number of COVID-19 protocols are in place (see below).
In most instances, proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination (e.g., 2 doses of a 2-dose vaccine plus a 14-day period following the last vaccination) is required for high-risk indoor settings
Masks are required to be worn inside, with exemptions including when people are eating or drinking
If the celebration is held in a meeting or event space, common room, or venue where facility staff are ‘in charge’ (e.g., food service) staff/guests are required to:
Provide proof of full vaccine status at the point of entry
Be actively screened at the point of entry
Have their contact tracing information kept and stored for 30 days
Abide by the safety plan requirements of that establishment
Wear a mask at all times, with limited exceptions including while eating and drinking