January 6, 2022 coronavirus update for Oakville

by

This is the Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022 coronavirus update. Oakville reported 227 new cases today, and there are now 10 COVID patients in Halton Region ICU beds.

Active cases in Oakville continue to climb and have now reached 1,503. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant continues to cause signs of stress in Canada's healthcare system. One of the province's largest hospitals, London Health Sciences Centre, has announced they will be delaying non-urgent services due to staff shortages caused by sick leave and COVID infections.

The Quebecois government announced that it would soon be changing the requirement for its vaccine passports to three doses rather than two. Passports will also soon be needed to enter liquor and cannabis retailers. The Prince Edward Island government followed other provinces by changing isolation rules for vaccinated people, shortening them compared to requirements for those without the jab.

Halton's test positive rate has lowered to 10.1%. Hospitals in the region have 10 COVID patients in ICU beds, representing 83% of their capacity. Twenty new deaths from the virus were reported provincially, but there were zero in Halton.

Ontario's top doctor, Chief Medical Officer Kieran Moore, discussed the shortage of virus tests in the face of the massive Omicron wave. He also urged Canadians, who can, to volunteer with their local health authority to expedite the vaccination effort. 

Finally, Halton Chief Administrative Officer Jane MacCaskill issued a release that goes over regulations and strategies for people in Halton during this wave of Covid. MacCaskill asked people to assume they have COVID when showing symptoms of it and to then isolate. This is due to a lack of tests available. The province will prioritize PCR tests for people who are considered high risk. Although Ontario is receiving a flood of Rapid tests from the Federal government, it is still not enough to currently match surging Omicron numbers. 

These steps will make officially reported COVID numbers less accurate for the time being, as many people who are infected will not be tested. MacCaskill also reminded Oakvillians that required isolation periods have been shortened to 5 days after the onset of symptoms for people who are vaccinated.

**Vaccine booking: Halton continues to book first and second-dose vaccinations for all residents age five and older, plus third-dose boosters for all adults age 18 and up.

Booster doses and appointments for children must be made in advance, but first and second doses for those 12 and up are available on a walk-in basis.

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 or third vaccination appointment at a Halton Region vaccine clinic**

Note: Oakville News updates are published at least five days a week, sharing new Halton data from Tuesday to Friday and Ontario, Canada, and globally Monday through Saturday.

Oakville and Halton COVID-19 update

  • Oakville reports 227 new cases -  63 fewer new cases than yesterday
  • Halton daily number is 691 - plus 62
  • There are now 1,503 active cases in Oakville alone
  • Halton hospitals currently have 10 confirmed COVID patients in the ICU, which represents roughly 83% of their capacity
  • There are currently 69 COVID patients across all Halton hospitals - plus 5
  • Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital has 32 patients - no change
  • Halton Region has administered over a million total doses of the vaccine

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 Jan. 5, 2022.

  • 1,503 active cases - plus 9
  • 8,880 cases resolved - plus 218
  • 3,692 COVID variant cases - 73
  • 32 patients at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital - no change
  • 10,452 total cases (confirmed and probable) - plus 227
  • 69 deaths - no change
  • 8,949 completed (recoveries+deaths) cases - 85.6% of cases
  • 13 active outbreaks - plus 1

Status in Halton

  • 89% of all Halton residents are fully vaccinated - no change
  • 87% of all residents have received at least one dose - no change
  • 137,528 booster doses have been administered in Halton - plus 8,815
  • At least 1.08 million total vaccinations administered - an increase of over 10,000

Changes in figures are since the Oakville News update on Jan. 5, 2022.

  • 4,250 active cases - plus 149
  • 69 cases in hospitals across Halton - plus 5
  • 31,686 total cases (confirmed+probable) - plus 691
  • 246 deaths - no change
  • 26,648 resolved cases - plus 542
  • 26,894 completed (resolved+deaths) cases - 86.5% of cases 
  • 13 active outbreaks - minus 13

Note: Halton Region combines its recovery count into one number with probable, now closed cases. This total includes some cases that were not coronavirus recoveries. Halton Region does not release the names of businesses with active outbreaks.

Ontario COVID-19 update

A long list of new rules and regulations to fight the spread of the Omicron variant in Ontario is now in effect. The complete list of these new measures can be read at this Oakville News story by clicking here.

Summary of provincial vaccinations

  • 12.25 million people have received at least one vaccine dose (86.8% of eligible pop.)
  • At least 11.43 million people are fully vaccinated (81% of eligible pop.)
  • 27.75 million vaccine doses administered (first, second and third)

Changes are from figures in our last update.

  • 145,585 active cases - plus 1303*
  • 2,279 people hospitalized - plus 198
  • 841,371 confirmed cases - plus 13,339
  • 685,514 recovered cases - plus 12,016
  • 695,786 resolved cases (deaths & recovered) or 82.6%
  • 59,241 tests (104 more than yesterday) were conducted with a positive rate of 29.2% 
  • 319 people in ICU - plus 31
  • 164 people on ventilators - plus 26
  • 20 new deaths were reported today
  • 1,044 active, ongoing institutional outbreaks - plus 71

*Testing guidelines and eligibility have changed over the past week, which may affect discrepancies day-to-day of active cases and similar statistics*

Summary of Variants of Concern (VOC)

These data are for the number of people who tested positive, and further testing confirmed their specific case is one of a particular variant of concern. All totals are only for cases since Nov. 1, 2021.

  • 11,699 total variant COVID cases across Halton - plus 187
  • 3,692 total in Oakville - plus 73

Canadian and Global COVID-19 updates

  • Canada's cumulative cases reach 2.39 million; active cases surpass 360,000
  • The Quebec government announces it will eventually expand vaccination requirements to necessitate three doses for entry and that this will be needed to enter all cannabis and alcohol retailers
  • Prime Minister Trudeau says Canadians are "angry" at their unvaccinated fellow citizens
  • There remains a national advisory in effect against all non-essential travel
  • Prince Edward Island announces changes to their isolation policy. Vaccinated Islanders can now isolate for three days less (7 days total) than their unvaccinated contemporaries.
  • 87.25% of Canadians 12 years or older are fully vaccinated
  • The World Health Organization reported over 2.6 million new cases of COVID in the past 24 hours
  • The U.S. said a record-setting 1 million cases Monday

Summary of national vaccinations in Canada

  • 31.81 million people have received at least one vaccine dose (approx. 83.68% of total pop.)
  • At least 29.46 million people are fully vaccinated (approx. 77.5% of total pop.)
  • 2.39 million confirmed cases to date
  • 1.97 million recoveries - plus approx. 30,000
  • 30,524 deaths - plus 59
  • Ranked 85th in global deaths per capita at 81.36 per 100,000 people

US COVID-19 Update

World COVID-19 Update

  • 296.49 million cases - plus more than 2.5 million
  • 5.46 million people have died worldwide
  • 58.8% of the world population has received at least one vaccine dose (source: Our World Data)

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 Halton region showing how dramatically your risk of getting sick or being admitted to hospital is when vaccinated.

Provincial Public Health officials are stressing the importance of getting vaccinated, as well as scheduling a free booster shot as soon as possible, either through the provincial website or at pharmacies like Rexall or Shoppers Drug Mart.

Sources: