Mapping COVID-19 outbreaks in Ontario schools

After Feb 16, only four of Ontario’s public health units will remain under the Stay-at-Home order. The restrictions do not apply to schools in those regions, which will reopen after the long weekend, leaving some parents scratching their heads. Shutdowns have been extended in Toronto, York, Peele and North Bay in response to the COVID-19 variants that have emerged in recent months. The Science Table advisory group advised the province that schools could be reopened safely despite this. School re-openings represent in essence a trade-off between improving youth mental health  during the pandemic and the relatively low number of outbreaks reported in schools.

Outbreaks in Long-term care home compared with other congregate living settings

By mid-January, over 60 per cent of those who died from COVID-19 in Ontario came from a long-term care home. Containing outbreaks is the biggest challenge for these facilities as several of them did not have their Infection prevention and control measures properly inspected leading up to 2020. Reinforcement continues to be a priority today. Deaths in long-term care centres dominated the first wave. However, more community-dwelling elderly adults are being infected than residents in long-term care. The shift could be attributed to an even greater rise in outbreaks in other congregate living settings such as retirement homes and shelters.