Community update from Eric Hanna, President and CEO

January 15, 2021

There has been no shortage of COVID-19 news and developments in recent weeks and I wanted to touch base with a local update on vaccine distribution, the stay-at-home order and the Ontario Critical Care COVID-19 Command Centre.

Vaccine distribution

Eric Hanna, President & CEO, ARH

Vaccine distribution for Arnprior Regional Health (ARH) and our community has been a top priority for our senior leadership team – we are closely monitoring the provincial distribution plan and collaborating with Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU), who is leading the local Vaccine Roll Out Plan.

This week, Dr. Cushman, Acting Medical Officer of Health, RCDHU, announced that the Pfizer and Modern vaccines are expected in Renfrew County in early February. In the background, we have been working diligently to complete the preparations for the whole organization based on the Ministry of Health readiness checklist so we can begin immunizations as soon as the vaccine arrives.

The province is currently in Phase One of the roll out, which based on the government’s direction, prioritizes long-term care staff, residents and designated caregivers. The province has also prioritized vaccine distribution geographically to hotspots where the incidence of COVID-19 and outbreaks are higher. In Renfrew County, our numbers have been relatively low which is why our vaccine timeline differs from other areas such as Ottawa or the Greater Toronto Area.

The important target that the Ontario government has set is to administer the first dose of vaccine in every long-term care home by February 15.

Lastly, I must emphasize that the vaccine rollout timeline is dependent on the availability of vaccines from the manufacturers. For instance, today it was announced by Pfizer that due to an unexpected production pause, the expected delivery amount to Canada has been reduced. Vaccine availability will continue to be the most significant variable that impacts getting vaccine in arms.

Stay-at-home order

Ontario’s stay-at-home order came into effect on January 14. With the lockdown that began on Dec 26, 2020, we had already made the majority of operational changes (i.e. visitor restrictions, temporarily closing SALC, ADP, Men’s Shed) so the new emergency order has not had a major impact at ARH.

An important reminder that we each need to follow the current stay-at-home order to help protect our most vulnerable and the Ontario healthcare system that is under significant strain. Please only leave your home for essential reasons, including work, groceries, exercise and so forth.

Ontario Critical Care COVID-19 Command Centre

The province has created the Ontario Critical Care COVID-19 Command Centre in response to the significant pressure on critical care in the hotspots. The current focus for this group is looking at necessary transfers of patients from hospitals experiencing significant surges to hospitals in other areas of the province that have capacity.  We part are part of this planning and focused on making the necessary preparations to ensure capacity in the case that we need to provide support. ARH, along with other eligible hospitals, have been asked to outline the level of care that could be provided to ensure each hospital would only be transferred patients at an acuity level that can be managed safely.

In the meantime, we need to vigilantly follow our current public health guidance and measures to stop the spread: wash your hands regularly, wear a mask, practice physical distancing, and stay home unless for essential reasons.

Kind regards,

Eric Hanna