July 2, 2022 coronavirus update for Oakville

by

This is Oakville's coronavirus update for Saturday, July 2, 2022, with COVID-19 news from the last week. In a disappointing change, the province of Ontario is no longer publicly reporting most COVID-19 data.

Provincial government has not provided a timeline for when it might (if ever) return. This includes a suspension of most data points that have been publicly available for two and a half years, such as:

  • 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

Locally, vaccination in Halton reached a major milestone this week: 85% of all Halton residents (of all ages) are now fully vaccinated with two or more doses. But the number of Oakville's new cases rose every week in the month of June.

No deaths were reported in Halton for the second week in a row. A new outbreak has opened at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital in the 4 North Unit 2 wing. Halton Healthcare says, even as the provincial mandatory mask rule has ended, they will be keeping mask mandates in place for staff and visitors.

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.

Active cases nationally have risen for the second straight week. More than 35 million Canadians have now received at least their first dose of vaccine, and a cumulative 60 million PCR COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Canada since the start of the pandemic. Global cases surpass 545 million people. 

**Vaccine booking: Fourth doses (second booster doses) of vaccine are now available for anyone in Halton age 60 and up and any indigenous peoples and those in their household age 18 and up.

Halton continues to book first and second-dose vaccinations for all residents age five and older, plus third-dose boosters for all adults 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 all known variants of concern.

CLICK HERE to book a first, second, third or fourth vaccination appointment at a Halton Region vaccine clinic

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 June 25, 2022.

  • 9 patients at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital - plus 6
  • 16,806 total cases in Oakville (confirmed and probable) - plus 93
  • 107 deaths - no change
  • 1 active outbreak - plus 1

Status in Halton

  • 85% of all Halton residents are fully vaccinated
  • 87% of all residents have received at least one dose
  • More than 1.34 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 June 25, 2022 or taken from provincial epidemiological reports.

  • 14 patients in hospitals across Halton - plus 6
  • 50,707 total cases (confirmed+probable) - plus 238
  • 380 deaths - no change
  • 7 active outbreaks - plus 4

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 (85.53% of total pop.)
  • At least 12.23 million people are fully vaccinated (82.49% 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

  • 35.99 million people have received at least one vaccine dose (85.71% of total pop.)
  • At least 31.44 million people are fully vaccinated (82.22% of total pop.)
  • 86.25 million total doses administered - plus 80,000
  • 18.81 million booster doses administered (49.16% of total pop.)

Changes in figures are since the Oakville News update on June 25, 2022. With the high number of cases nationwide and globally, all numbers are approximate (within 0.1% of the total.)

  • 263,666 active cases - plus 14,048
  • 3,505 active hospitalizations - plus 302

U.S. COVID-19 Update

  • 87.40 million cumulative cases - plus 580,000
  • 1,013,261 deaths - plus 1,834
  • 66.9% of the total population is fully vaccinated
  • 83.2% of the eligible population has at least one dose
  • Ranked 18th in global deaths per capita at 304.66 per 100,000 people

World COVID-19 Update

  • 545.22 million cases to date - plus 4.82 million
  • 6.34 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.

Sources: