Hastings and Prince Edward Counties/Jan. 6, 2022
As we enter another year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) wants to thank you for your patience and continued efforts to protect yourself, your families and the community.
As we continue our work to deliver vaccines, your efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant in our community are more important than ever. While Omicron may be less severe than previous variants of COVID-19, its high transmissibility has resulted in a larger number of hospital admissions. Evidence shows that approximately one per cent of Omicron cases in Ontario require hospital care and with the rapid rise in Omicron cases, our hospitals could quickly exceed capacity.
In the past week there have been many changes announced by the province about PCR testing eligibility, isolation and the return to modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopening in response to Omicron. These changes will help slow the spread of Omicron – which is critical to protect the capacity of the health care system and prevent illness and death.
“Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19, should assume they are positive and isolate immediately,” says Dr. Ethan Toumishey, Acting Medical Officer of Health. “Omicron is much more transmissible than previous variants and the only way we will slow the spread – and the impact on our health care system – is if everyone follows public health guidance and isolates even if they have mild symptoms. You don’t need a test to know what to do. If you have symptoms, do your part and isolate as directed.”
What to do if you have any symptoms of illness:
- Go to Ontario.ca/exposed to check if your symptoms are identified as common symptoms of COVID-19. Complete the COVID-19 self-assessment.
- If you have symptoms of COVID-19, self isolate immediately.
- Household members must self-isolate immediately. Other contacts may also need to self-isolate. Visit Ontario.ca/exposed for more information.
- Inform your household members and high-risk contacts by providing them with HPEPH’s notification for high-risk contacts.
What to do if you had exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or someone with symptoms of COVID-19:
- Visit Ontario.ca/exposed and complete the COVID-19 self-assessment to determine if you need to self-isolate.
What to do if you test positive for COVID-19:
- If you test positive for COVID-19 on a PCR or a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), self-isolate immediately, visit Ontario.ca/exposed and complete the COVID-19 self-assessment for more detailed instructions.
- Inform all of your household members and social contacts as soon as possible. Please provide them with HPEPH’s notification for high-risk contacts.
- Household members must self-isolate immediately. Other contacts may also need to self-isolate. Visit Ontario.ca/exposed for more information.
- If you test positive on a rapid antigen test (RAT), you are considered to be a positive case and DO NOT need a PCR test to confirm you are positive.
Get vaccinated
HPEPH is working with community partners to administer COVID-19 vaccines in the region. For updates on eligibility and availability, visit the Booking and Eligibility webpage and follow HPEPH on Facebook and Twitter.
To check current availability:
- At community vaccination clinics, visit covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine; appointments are required.
- At local pharmacies, contact pharmacies listed at covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations; appointments are required at most participating pharmacies, contact the pharmacy to confirm their process.
For the most up to date information on COVID-19 visit hpePublicHealth.ca.
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Media contacts
Emily Tubbs, Communications Specialists
etubbs@hpeph.ca
Maureen Hyland, Communications Specialist
mhyland@hpeph.ca
About Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) is a public health agency that serves the counties of Hastings and Prince Edward from four local offices. We monitor the health of our local population, deliver programs and services within our communities, and help develop healthy public policies. We provide information and support in many areas to help improve the health and well-being of our residents. Together with our communities, we help people become as healthy as they can be. For more information, please visit hpePublicHealth.ca. You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
We invite community partners and residents to share this Media Release with their respective networks.
