General News

COVID-19 updates for week of Jan. 31

February 1, 2022

By MICHAEL RILEY
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On Jan. 31, the number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario since Jan. 15, 2020 was 1,103.294 with 3,043 new cases reported. The total number of deaths from COVID-19 has been 11,444 with 31 fatalities reported on Jan. 31, down from 32 the previous day.
In Hastings Prince Edward County, according to Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, as of Jan. 31 there are 100 new high-risk cases, 343 active high-risk cases, 15 outbreaks in high-risk settings like long term care homes and 33 deaths reported.
According to the Renfrew County and District Health Unit, of which South Algonquin Township is a part, there were 2,822 confirmed cases as of Jan. 31, with 2,519 resolved cases, 20 deaths and 96 new cases reported.
With the Omicron variant’s BA.2 sub lineage (BA.1 being the original sub lineage of Omicron) now counted at over 100 cases in Canada since November, and at over 10,000 cases in 47 countries around the world, evidence from the U.K.
Health Security Agency suggests that booster shoots still provide protection again BA.2. They said that vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease was similar for BA.1 and BA.2 sub lineages of Omicron, and that with booster shots, two weeks following said shot, they provided 63 per cent protection against the original Omicron variant and 70 per cent protection against BA.2.
For anyone over the age of five years, still needing to get also COVID-19 vaccination shots or boosters, there will be vaccination clinics happening in North Hastings over the next couple of weeks, according to the HPEPH Facebook page.
The Bancroft Hospital professional building will be having vaccine clinics on Feb. 8, Feb. 15 and Feb. 22 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Feb. 5 and Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Feb. 5, there will be a vaccination clinic in Coe Hill at the Royal Canadian Legion, branch 581, at 2254 Hwy 620 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Feb. 8, Lake St. Peter will host a clinic at the Lake St. Peter Community Centre at 5 Boulter Lake Road from noon to 3 p.m., on Feb. 15, Limerick will have a clinic at the Limerick Community Centre at 7645 Hwy 620 from noon to 3 p.m. Finally, there will be a clinic on Feb. 22 in Maynooth at Emond Hall at 33011 Hwy 62 North from noon to 3 p.m. Walk-ins depend on vaccine availability. To book an appointment at any of these vaccination clinics, call Quinte Health Care North Hastings at 613-332-2825, ext. 6227.
There are also COVID-19 vaccine clinics happening up in Renfrew County and South Algonquin Township over the next couple of weeks for ages five years old and up.
On Feb. 7, there is a vaccine clinic at Pembroke West End at 100 Crandall Street from 1 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. and another one on Feb. 12 from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., on Feb. 8, there will be a clinic at the Ma-Te-Way Activity Centre at 1 Ma-Te-Way Park Drive in Renfrew from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Feb. 9, at the Barry’s Bay Legion at 250 John Street in Barry’s Bay from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Feb. 10 at the Chalk River and Area Lions Club at 11 Kellett Street in Chalk River and on Feb. 10 at the Eganville District Seniors’ Centre at 30
Bell Street in Eganville from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
All clinics accept walk-ins, and appointments for the Pembroke and Chalk River clinics can be booked at https:// vaccine.covaxonbooking.ca/.