Increased Level of Widespread COVID-19 Community Activity

Kingston, ON – As Ontario enhanced restrictions and ordered a stay-at-home order across the province, the number of COVID-19 cases in the KFL&A region have continued to rise.

“With most cases being variants of concern and multiple variants detected in the region, we are now experiencing widespread community transmission,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Medical Officer of Health at KFL&A Public Health. “We are facing a critical time in the fight against COVID-19 with younger, healthier people experiencing more severe symptoms. Everyone must strengthen their efforts to contain its spread and get vaccinated when eligible.”

KFL&A Public Health’s investigations reveal high transmission rates affecting individuals across the age groups, and rapid spreading among those in close, unprotected contact particularly in workplaces where physical distancing is limited, and face coverings are not being properly worn. These affected individuals are then spreading the virus to those in their household.

Given this trend, KFL&A Public Health is especially concerned for those individuals at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. As much as possible, those at higher risk from COVID-19 should stay home and avoid trips outside the home. If you are an employer, increase opportunities for those most at risk to work from home.

“We know most businesses are operating responsibly and taking necessary precautions to protect workers, and I want to thank them for their efforts,” added Dr. Moore. “To ensure continued adherence to all workplace best practices we call on the Ministry of Labour to continue to conduct their focused inspections in high risk workplaces.”

With the surge in cases in workplaces, if employers have hired new staff (employees) that are coming from outside of the KFL&A region they can be offered asymptomatic testing at one of the local assessment centres in Kingston or Napanee. Please continue to follow the public health measures to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in KFL&A.

• Screen for symptoms daily and get tested if you have any symptoms of COVID-19.
• Stay home if you have any symptoms – do not go to work or visit others.
• If someone in your household is symptomatic, they need to get tested and everyone else in the household must isolate until a negative test result is back.
• Wear personal protective equipment properly in the workplace.
• Limit close contact to your household (the people you live with) – do not eat lunch and take breaks with other co-workers.
• Do not travel outside of the KFL&A area.
• Adhere to the Ministry of Labour’s standards to protect workers’ health and safety on the job.

The KFL&A vaccination strategy is proceeding very well with over 85 per cent of individuals 60 years of age and older having been vaccinated. It is going to take some time to vaccinate all residents, so everyone, even those who have received their first dose of vaccine, are advised to adhere to public health measures (especially physically distancing from those outside of your household and wearing a face covering).

In the following weeks, the eligibility for clinics will continue to expand as the vaccine supply increases across the province. For the most up to date information on COVID-19 and vaccine eligibility, visit KFL&A Public Health’s website or the Ministry of Health’s website.