This is the coronavirus update for Oakville for Saturday, October 29, 2022. Oakville is reporting its highest week of new cases since June, with 71 new cases in Oakville and more than 200 across Halton.
Halton is also reporting four new deaths for the second week in a row, one of which was in Oakville. There are now six open outbreaks in Oakville, including two new ones this week, both at retirement homes: Delmanor Glen Abbey and Oakville Senior Citizens Residence.
Public Health Ontario is reporting the proportion of the new BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 Omicron subvariants in Ontario are growing twice as quickly as the dominant BA.5 strain.
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in Ontario are currently at their highest in more than eight months. The last time both figures were so high was on February 9, 2022.
With the rapidly escalating number of new hospitalizations and case numbers, Dr. Fahad Razak (the former head of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table) is recommending mask mandates be reinstated for essential settings (like health care, school and transit) immediately. There has been no indication from provincial government such rules may or may not be coming.
As of last week, everyone in Ontario aged 12 and over is now eligible to receive a bivalent COVID-19 booster dose if they have completed their primary COVID-19 vaccine series. It is now both authorized and available to everyone in this age group.
Globally, cumulative confirmed cases have surpassed 625 million worldwide, and more than 6.5 million people have died.
**Vaccine booking: Fourth doses (second booster doses) of vaccine are now available for anyone in Halton age 12 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 six months and older, plus third-dose boosters for anyone age 12 and up.
Halton COVID-19 Update:
- 213 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported
- 8 people were hospitalized and there are 4 new deaths
- 5 active outbreaks in Oakville - no change
- 11 active outbreaks in Halton - minus 2
Vaccinations in Halton Region:
- Over 1.45 million doses have been administered in Halton
- 95% of Halton residents (including children over 12) have received at least one dose
- 93% of Halton residents have at least two doses
- 63% of Halton residents have at least three doses
- 24% of Halton residents age 18+ have at least four doses
Ontario COVID-19 Update:
- The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has reached an eight-month high in Ontario
- There have been 1.48 million cases in Ontario to date
- 14,724 deaths to date - plus 121
- 1,921 people are in hospital with COVID-19 - plus 258
- There are 148 people in ICU - minus 10
Summary of provincial vaccinations
- 90.77% of all eligible Ontarians (age five and older) have at least one dose (+0.05%)
- 83.14% of Ontarians have received at least two doses (+0.05%)
- 51.53% of people have received a third dose (+0.11%)
Canadian COVID-19 Update:
- Canada has had 4.29 million cases of COVID-19
- 5,790 people are currently in hospital
- There are 46,031 deaths to date (+323 this week)
- 82.71% of Canadians are fully vaccinated (+0.04%)
Global COVID-19 Update:
- U.S. cases are now at 97.32 million cases; over 1.06 million have died
- 625.87 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic started; 6.54 million people have died
The evidence is clear: vaccination is the best way to be protected. Local, provincial, national and international health units 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.
Sources:
- Halton Region (and halton.ca/covid19)
- Halton Healthcare
- Joseph Brant Hospital
- HDSB COVID Advisory Page
- The Government of Ontario dashboard
- Public Health Ontario COVID-19 Data Tool
- Government of Canada
- COVID-19 Vaccination Tracker Canada
- The U.S. Centre for Disease Control
- Our World in Data
- Johns Hopkins University Research Centre
- World Health Organization