It has been one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
Meanwhile in Chatham-Kent, the active COVID-19 case count has risen to 46.
Current status in C-K
The active COVID-19 case count has increased by six and now sits at 46 across Chatham-Kent.
The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit updated their ‘current situation’ page, which provides a summary of COVID-19 cases and testing in Chatham-Kent, on Thursday, March 11, 2021.
The total number of COVID-19 cases increased by seven and sits at 1,398 across Chatham-Kent.
CK Public Health officials say two people remain hospitalized with COVID-19 from Chatham-Kent.
Public health officials announced one new recovery, increasing the total at 1,343.
Two institutional outbreaks remain active, both at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.
An outbreak was declared on Sunday, March 7, 2021 in the Dialysis unit in Chatham and involves two total cases.
An outbreak was also declared on Sunday in the Lab Services unit of the hospital in Chatham and involves three total cases.
25 of the active cases across Chatham-Kent are are linked to close contact, 11 are unknown, eight cases have information pending and two cases are linked to institutional outbreaks in Chatham-Kent.
Since the pandemic began in March, nine people from Chatham-Kent have died from COVID-19.
A total of 88,854 tests for the virus have been completed to date.
Public health officials say 11,540 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to date.
Beginning on Monday, March 1, 2021, Chatham-Kent moved into the ‘Orange-Restrict’ tier of the Keeping Ontario Safe and Open framework.
“Each colour level will be reassessed every two weeks,” CK Public Health officials say.
Public health officials are reminding people to:
To view the full ‘current situation’ page from CK Public Health, click here.
One year anniversary of COVID-19 pandemic
Ontario Premier Doug Ford issued a statement on Thursday, March 11, 2021 to mark the significant milestones achieved since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020.
“A year ago today the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic marking the start of one of the grimmest chapters in modern health history,” Premier Ford stated.
“Ontario has tragically lost more than 7,000 lives to this deadly virus. We offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends, colleagues, and all of those impacted by these tragic losses of life.”
Ford said over the past year the vast majority of people have followed public health restrictions to stop the spread, adding that the Ontario government recognizes the extraordinary burden this has placed on individuals, families and businesses across the province.
“And the uncertainty created by the pandemic has had a devastating impact on our collective mental health — especially that of young people who have been forced to put their lives on hold, and seniors who have had to isolate themselves from friends and family,” the Premier said.
“But this crisis has been met with incredible acts of kindness, compassion and generosity. Our frontline health care workers have stepped up in our hospitals, long-term care homes, and congregate settings to care for our sick and most vulnerable citizens, and our public health units have led local response efforts and worked to protect the health of our communities. Businesses across the province retooled their operations to produce personal protective equipment, masks, gowns, gloves face shields and hand sanitizer to protect our essential workers. An army of volunteers came forward to help others through incredible acts of kindness like delivering meals to our seniors.”
Ford said tremendous determination and personal sacrifice has been seen from Ontario’s essential workers, including first responders who are keeping communities safe, those working in the agri-food sector who are keeping food on people’s tables, and those operating transit systems, water and energy systems, to ensure residents continue to receive the basic services everyone counts on each and every day.
“Now with the approval of four vaccines in Canada, I am hopeful that this could mark the beginning of the end of COVID-19,” Ford said.
“I can assure everyone that we have a comprehensive vaccine distribution plan and we are making steady progress. To-date, we have administered over one million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines and continue to lead the country in vaccinations completed, including to the majority of residents and staff in our long-term care and retirement homes.”
The Premier added: “To get more vaccines into arms we continue to mobilize boots on the ground, members of Team Ontario. We are expanding the vaccine delivery channels to include pharmacies, primary care settings, mobile clinics and more mass vaccination clinics. Our greatest hope continues to be vaccines. If we can get a steady and predictable supply from the federal government we will begin moving into Phase Two of our COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan next month, expanding the number of people eligible to receive a vaccine. Our overall goal is to vaccinate up to nine million Ontarians across the province between April 2021 and July 2021.”
Ford said Ontarians care deeply about each other and if everyone pulls in the same direction together, the vaccination campaign will be a “resounding success” and lives will be saved.
“Although we are making progress, variants of concern pose a serious risk,” Premier Ford said.
“Until vaccines are widely administered, everyone needs to follow the public health advice and measures to protect themselves and their loved ones. Please do not let your guard down. I know the past year has been extremely difficult, but the people of Ontario are resilient and I am confident will get through this crisis together.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also issued a statement marking the one year anniversary.
“One year after the World Health Organization officially declared COVID‑19 a pandemic, more than 22,000 Canadian families have lost a loved one, many people have lost their jobs and businesses, health care and front line workers have faced great risk and challenge, and all Canadians have made sacrifices to keep others safe and healthy,” the Prime Minister stated.
“Today, on the National Day of Observance for COVID-19, we honour every individual who lost their life to this disease, and we stand with the people they loved as they continue to cope with this unimaginable loss. Together, we also recognize all who have been impacted by the pandemic, and we reaffirm our commitment to work as Team Canada to beat this virus.”
Canada was swift to act at the beginning of this pandemic, Trudeau said.
“While Canadians followed public health measures to flatten the curve and protect our front line health care workers and systems, we quickly took action to help save lives and support individuals, families, and businesses through the crisis. With a broad range of measures, including the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, we helped Canadians put food on the table and employers keep their workers on the payroll. We also worked tirelessly to ensure essential workers had access to the supplies they needed to stay safe and healthy, and we have worked with Indigenous communities to provide the support they needed in these challenging times. Together, alongside all orders of government, Indigenous peoples, community organizations, and private sector partners, we quickly worked to use every tool available to protect and support Canadians during this crisis.
“We also joined forces with our international partners to strengthen global health systems, coordinate response efforts, support vulnerable countries, and help researchers develop tests and vaccines. Canada will continue to work with our partners through the G7, the G20, and other international organizations to contribute to a coordinated and science-based response and recovery, and to support vulnerable countries – because we can’t beat COVID-19, unless we beat it everywhere.
“As we look back on the challenges of this past year and reflect on how far we have come, we must also keep one eye on the road ahead,” he said.
“The largest immunization campaign in our country’s history is well underway, and we are on track to have a vaccine available for every Canadian who wants one, by September. But the pandemic isn’t over, and until all Canadians have access to a safe and effective vaccine, we all need to continue to follow public health advice. That means working from home if you can, keeping two metres apart from others, wearing a mask, and downloading the COVID Alert app.”
The Prime Minister said the heavy toll that the global pandemic has taken and continues to take, both in Canada and abroad, is being acknowledged.
“To date, more than 2.6 million people have died globally from COVID-19, including 22,000 Canadians,” Trudeau said.
“They are more than just numbers. They were our mothers, fathers, grandparents, and loved ones. They were our neighbours, friends, and colleagues. We honour their memory, and renew our commitment to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to keep people safe and supported through this crisis.”
The Prime Minister added: “We also take this opportunity to thank our front line workers who have been working tirelessly every single day to keep us safe and healthy. We owe these everyday heroes an immense debt of gratitude, and we will continue to offer the support they need.”
Since the first case of the virus was diagnosed in Canada in January 2020, close to 850,000 Canadians have recovered from the disease, but many in communities across the country continue to suffer its effects, Trudeau added.
“We will continue to work together to set Canada – and the world – on the path to recovery and to build back better for everyone,” he said.
“The past year has been difficult, but better days are ahead. We will come out of this pandemic a more resilient country in a stronger global community.”
‘Orange-Restrict’ status remains in place in C-K
Here is more details about the ‘Orange-Restrict’ tier:
For more information about COVID-19, residents are asked to visit
http://www.ckpublichealth.com/covid19 or call the CK Public Health COVID-19 intake line at 519-355-1071 ex. 1900.
