This is Oakville’s coronavirus update for Saturday, July 16, 2022, with COVID-19 news from the last week. There were two big developments this week: Fourth doses are now available in Ontario and Health Canada has approved the Moderna vaccine for those age six months to age 5; a first for the age group.
Locally, the number of outbreaks in Halton Region have more than quadrupled in less than two weeks. Oakville still has four outbreaks, all at congregate living centres and retirement homes.
New cases are down in Halton but higher in the town of Oakville, reaching a near six-month high today. Halton Region has ended its three week streak with no reported deaths; three happened this week, but none are from Oakville.
Active cases and hospitalizations nationally have risen for the fourth straight week. Global cases are close to 560 million people.
In a disappointing change, the province of Ontario is no longer publicly reporting most COVID-19 data. Even worse, the change came only days before the province declared (earlier this week) that Ontario is now definitively in a seventh wave of infections. Most provinces are now only reported the results from PCR testing, meaning the actual number of new cases that being greatly underreported.
The United States has ended its COVID-19 testing requirement for incoming international air travel. Fully vaccinated travellers, regardless of citizenship, no longer need a negative COVID-19 test result to enter Canada.
**Vaccine booking: Fourth doses (second booster doses) of vaccine are now available for anyone in Halton age 18 and up, though fourth doses must be at least five months since your last dose and 90 days since having COVID-19.
Halton continues to book first and second-dose vaccinations for all residents age five and older, plus third-dose boosters for anyone age 12 and up.
First, second and third doses for those 12 and up are available on a walk-in basis throughout the Region. All vaccines approved for use in Canada effectively protect you against COVID-19 and almost all known variants of concern.
Oakville and Halton COVID-19 update
Summary of Oakville vaccinations
- 84% of all Oakville residents are fully vaccinated
- 86% of all Oakville have received at least one dose
Changes in figures are since the Oakville News update on July 9, 2022.
- 8 patients at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital – minus 3
- 17,047 total cases in Oakville (confirmed and probable) – plus 122
- 107 deaths – no change
- 6 active outbreaks – no change
Status in Halton
- 85% of all Halton residents are fully vaccinated
- 87% of all residents have received at least one dose
- More than 1.35 million total vaccinations have been administered
- 61% of the population has received three or more doses
Changes in figures are since the Oakville News update on July 9, 2022 or taken from provincial epidemiological reports.
- 22 patients in hospitals across Halton – no change
- 51,376 total cases (confirmed+probable) – plus 327
- 383 deaths – plus 3
- 17 active outbreaks – plus 6
Note: As of Feb. 12, 2022, Halton Region is no longer reporting the number of active cases, new recoveries, or people currently in the ICU. Halton Region does not release the names of businesses with active outbreaks.
Ontario COVID-19 update
As of June 18, 2022, the province of Ontario is no longer releasing new daily data about COVID-19 in the province. This includes:
- The number of new and active cases in the province
- The number of new and active hospitalizations
- What the current transmission rates are
- How many active outbreaks there are in Ontario
Because of this development, Oakville News no longer has access to regular public data on these figures at the provincial level. Provincial government has not provided a timeline for when it might (if ever) return.
More information from the province of Ontario about the current state of COVID-19, including “the most recent figures”, is available on a limited basis online here. Known active cases are no longer a reliable indicator of COVID-19’s spread, given restrictions to testing access.
Summary of provincial vaccinations
- 12.68 million people have received at least one vaccine dose (85.58% of total pop.)
- At least 12.24 million people are fully vaccinated (82.56% of total pop.)
As of Dec. 31, 2021, Ontario stopped reporting new confirmation numbers on how many cases are testing as a variant of concern, including the Omicron variant. Beginning June 16, 2022, institutional outbreaks are no longer being publicly reported by the province of Ontario.
Canadian and Global COVID-19 updates
Summary of national vaccinations in Canada
- 35.36 million people have received at least one vaccine dose (85.75% of total pop.)
- At least 31.47 million people are fully vaccinated (82.29% of total pop.)
- 86.71 million total doses administered – plus 220,000
- 18.87 million booster doses administered (49.35% of total pop.)
Changes in figures are since the Oakville News update on July 9, 2022. With the high number of cases nationwide and globally, all numbers are approximate (within 0.1% of the total.)
- 273,729 active cases – plus 947
- 4,584 active hospitalizations – plus 638
U.S. COVID-19 Update
- 89.06 million cumulative cases – plus 890,000
- 1,018,578 deaths – plus 3,010
- 67.1% of the total population is fully vaccinated
- 83.3% of the eligible population has at least one dose
- Ranked 17th in global deaths per capita at 309.67 per 100,000 people
World COVID-19 Update
- 557.91 million cases to date – plus 5.80 million
- 6.35 million people have died worldwide
- At least 12.08 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide (source: Our World Data)
- Only 17.6% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose
The evidence is clear: vaccination is the best way to be protected. Local, provincial, national and international health units all affirm the same data that Canada’s approved vaccines effectively protect you from COVID-19 and significantly reduce your risks of getting sick, going to the hospital, and dying from the disease.
Pictured right is a graph from the Halton region showing how dramatically your risk of getting sick or being admitted to hospital is when vaccinated.
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