Peterborough Public Health Launches Handy New Local COVID-19 Data Tracker Tool

Peterborough Public Health has launched a new local COVID-19 data tracker available at localcovidtracker.ca.

This interactive online tool is updated by 5:00 p.m. daily, and allows residents to stay on top of all COVID-19 cases, outbreaks and related statistics for the Peterborough area.

Screengrab from localcovidtracker.ca on October 9th, 2020

“This COVID-19 Tracker allows residents to sort local data by different filters, such as time frame and type of outbreak,” says Jane Hoffmeyer, Manager of Foundational Standards, whose team developed the COVID-19 Tracker.

“It also uses charts and other graphics to visualize the data, making it easier to understand how the pandemic is affecting us locally,” adds Hoffmeyer.

Screengrab from localcovidtracker.ca on October 9th, 2020

The COVID-19 Tracker includes local data on:

• New, active and resolved cases

• Sources of exposure

• Hospitalizations

• Outbreak information for long-term care, retirement homes, and schools

Screengrab from localcovidtracker.ca on October 9th, 2020

Hoffmeyer notes that Peterborough Public Health’s current COVID-19 case status webpage sees more than 4,500 unique views daily, and recently spiked at 7,265 views following reports of the first local school-related COVID-19 case.

Screengrab from localcovidtracker.ca on October 9th, 2020

Peterborough Public Health’s COVID-19 Tracker is the community’s central repository for local COVID-19 data. It also includes links to data resources available on provincial and federal websites and from neighbouring public health units.

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Reimagined Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run For The Cure This Year In Peterborough & Beyond

For almost 30 years, the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure has united a collective of Canadians who are a force-for-life in the face of breast cancer.

This year, being physically apart won’t stop them from coming together to make a difference. The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and CIBC are inviting local residents to join the reimagined CIBC Run for the Cure, taking place on Sunday, October 4. 

Every day, more than 75 Canadians are diagnosed with breast cancer. As a higher risk population, people living with cancer rely on the same healthcare system that is still responding to COVID-19 and its impacts. 

Photo from 2019 courtesy CIBC Run for the Cure Peterborough

“Now more than ever, the CIBC Run for the Cure needs your support to ensure that no Canadian has to face breast cancer alone,” says Nicole Kirton, Volunteer Run Director, Canadian Cancer Society. “Cancer doesn’t stop being a life-changing and life-threatening disease in the middle of a pandemic and that’s why we will never stop running to support people affected by breast cancer.” 

The 2020 CIBC Run for the Cure has been transformed into a one-of-a-kind experience with both physical and virtual components. Through their refreshed, easy-to-use mobile app and website, participants can create and customize their own virtual runner, fundraise to unlock rewards and track their activity. On Run Day, participants will join the online opening ceremonies before heading out to walk or run in their neighbourhood. 

Photo from 2019 courtesy CIBC Run for the Cure Peterborough

The opening ceremonies will be livestreamed on Canadian Cancer Society’s Facebook and YouTube channels at 11:30 a.m. EST and will be hosted by Jully Black, the award-winning singer-songwriter dubbed Canada’s Queen of R&B Soul. Viewers can also expect performances from Barenaked Ladies, Jess Moskaluke and Carolyn Dawn Johnson. 

The Run is the largest single-day, volunteer-led event in Canada in support of the breast cancer cause. Canadians can register for or donate to the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run For The Cure at cibcrunforthecure.com. 

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Peterborough’s Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing Site Is Relocating From Northcrest Arena To Eastgate Memorial Park

In response to higher-than-usual testing volumes over the last week, Peterborough’s drive-through COVID-19 testing centre will relocate to Eastgate Memorial Park (2150 Ashburnham Drive) effective, Monday, September 21st. Operating hours for the testing site will remain Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The move to this new location will help to accommodate higher-than-normal testing volumes seen at the drive-through since Labour Day. On Tuesday, September 15th, more than 420 people were tested.

Photo at Northcrest Arena courtesy PRHC

Lines at testing centres in communities across Ontario have grown longer in recent days, and testing capacity is limited in many areas. People should first seek testing options within the area where they live, work, or attend school.

Peterborough’s drive-through testing centre is intended for people who do not have symptoms of COVID-19. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, contact PRHC’s Assessment Centre directly by phone at 705-876-5086 to determine whether an appointment is required. If you have been advised to be tested due to an exposure, seek testing and follow public health recommendations to self-isolate or self-monitor. 

Photo courtesy PRHC

The final day of operations at Northcrest Arena will be Friday, September 18th.

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Peterborough’s Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing Centre First In Province To Use Handheld Devices For Lab Automation

Peterborough’s drive-through COVID-19 testing centre is the first in the province to implement new handheld devices to digitize COVID-19 lab requisitions—an important step forward in improving the quality and performance of end-to-end testing for patients, care providers and labs.

Working with Ontario Health, Peterborough County/City Paramedics, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), Peterborough Public Health (PPH) and the City of Peterborough have partnered to introduce handheld technology and barcoded labels for all COVID-19 tests done at the centre. Staff can now collect a patient’s information by scanning their health card and driver’s license, capturing everything required for a digital lab requisition. 

Photo courtesy PRHC

The drive-through testing centre implemented the handheld devices on Wednesday, September 2nd, and in the first five days of use, 1523 people were scanned.

The benefits of the handheld devices include: 

• More complete and higher-quality data when capturing patient information

• Faster processing and easier matching of the requisition to the test

• More legible requisitions, making it easier for laboratory staff to process each test

The testing clinic is now located at Northcrest Arena. Operating hours continue to be 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. 

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Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing At Kinsmen Centre To Continue Until Further Notice

Peterborough Paramedics, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) and Peterborough Public Health have announced that the drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at the Kinsmen Civic Centre will continue to operate weekly from Monday to Friday until further notice.

Photo courtesy PRHC

Here are the changes in hours and other key info you need to know:

• Until Friday, July 24th, the drive-through clinic at the Kinsmen Civic Centre for residents without symptoms will continue to operate from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

• Starting Monday, July 27th, the hours will change to 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The clinic will continue to be open Monday to Friday.

• Testing is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that children under one year old will not be swabbed at this clinic and should be referred to their family healthcare provider for testing. This clinic is regularly evaluated and may adjust operations based on demand.

  Those wishing to be tested on the weekend (with or without symptoms) can call the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at PRHC at 705-876-5086 to book an appointment. The PRHC Assessment Centre runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, seven days a week, by appointment only.

• Bring your Ontario Health Card with you. You can access your testing results using your Ontario Health Card number on the provincial online portal here.

For more information about COVID-19, click here.

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Here Are The New Hours For The Kinsmen Drive Through COVID-19 Testing Clinic

UPDATED POST (June 19th):

Peterborough Paramedics, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) and Peterborough Public Health announced today that the drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at the Kinsmen Civic Centre will continue from Monday, June 22 to Friday, June 26 until further notice. 

Those wishing to be tested on the weekend (with or without symptoms) can call the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at PRHC at 705-876-5086 to book an appointment. The PRHC Assessment Centre operates by appointment only from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, seven days a week.

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ORIGINAL POST

Hours of operation are changing for the drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at the Kinsmen Civic Centre.

The drive-through clinic at the Kinsmen Civic Centre for residents without symptoms will operate from Monday to Friday only from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and continue until at least Friday, June 19th. This clinic is regularly evaluated and may adjust operations based on demand.

Those wishing to be tested on the weekend (with or without symptoms) can call the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at PRHC at 705-876-5086 to book an appointment. The PRHC Assessment Centre operates by appointment only from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, seven days a week.

Photo courtesy PRHC

One-day drive-through COVID-19 testing clinics continue throughout the County of Peterborough until June 17th. For a list of upcoming clinics, visit peterboroughpublichealth.ca and click on the link for Testing.

Testing clinics are led by the Peterborough Paramedics with support from PRHC, the City of Peterborough, the County of Peterborough and Peterborough Public Health. Remember to bring along your Ontario Health Card with you.

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The Future Canadian Canoe Museum Build Impacted By Environmental Contamination

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) has announced that the results of its own independent investigations confirm that the designated site for the future building of the new Canadian Canoe Museum has been found to contain an industrial solvent, the chemical compound trichloroethylene (TCE). 

The ground water at 353 Hunter Street East, owned by Parks Canada, is believed to have been contaminated by chemicals seeping from an adjacent property. The 83,400 square-foot facility museum was to be located alongside the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

“All of us at the Canoe Museum, our project partners and supporters, are highly concerned and extremely disappointed by the situation,” says Carolyn Hyslop, executive director, The Canadian Canoe Museum, in a media release.

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) this week issued a Provincial Officers Order, under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), to the owner at an adjacent property directing it to undertake air quality, ground water and additional onsite investigations and to provide associating remediation plans.

“We are working with all parties including the MECP, Parks Canada and our community and funding partners to evaluate the overall impacts of these findings to our operations and our new museum build,” adds Hyslop.

“While the full implications of this environmental interruption are not yet fully known, we are fully committed to building a new world-class museum that will deliver on its vision and serve the needs of its patrons and local community while honouring and preserving this unique cultural asset of national significance.”

A Canadian Canoe Museum representative tells PTBOCanada in an email that they are “evaluating the situation to understand the full impacts to its operations and future new museum build, and further announcements will be made once a direction has been determined.”

[UPDATE: The Canoe Museum representative clarifies to us in a subsequent email that “testing was undertaken as part of the regular environmental assessments required for any build project. The museum relied on experts and consultants to do this testing and to provide the necessary reporting. The results reported today are the outcome of recent independent testing undertaken by the museum confirming the presence of the industrial solvent.”]

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How To Watch Out For Ticks In The Area This Spring

Now that Spring has arrived and you actually have the time to start working in the gardens, be extra vigilant this year to check yourself and family (pets included!) for ticks.

These little insects hide in your leaf litter to survive the winter, and if you’re bitten by one, there is a chance they can pass on a wide variety of diseases, the most prevalent being Lyme disease (check out this great article from Peterborough Health to learn more).

CHECK OUT THIS HANDY APP

There is a handy app called eTick (developed here in Canada) to help you identify and report ticks. You can also use it to see if there have been any sightings in your area. Looking at the green dots on the map pictured above, sadly you can see ticks have already been reported in almost every part of Peterborough this year alone!

Stay safe, and make sure you wear long clothing, use insect repellent containing DEET, check yourself over when you get back inside (be sure to look closely, they are pretty tiny!) and if you find one… remove it properly.

—by Evan Holt, PTBOCanada.com

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Paramedic Takeout Program: DBIA and Y Drive PTBO Collaborate To Feed Isolating Paramedics

Contactless food delivery from downtown restaurants is now available to Peterborough City-County Paramedics isolating from their friends and families at the Holiday Inn Waterfront, thanks to a new Paramedic Takeout Program by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area and Y-Drive PTBO.

“The Downtown Business Improvement Area is delighted to be working with the Peterborough City-County Paramedics to feed our front-line workers,” says Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the DBIA. “We have a bounty of amazing restaurants for our paramedics to choose from while in isolation. Food is the most basic form of comfort and we are so incredibly pleased to be spreading a little joy to our isolating paramedics at this time.”

“Along with the DBIA’s Paramedic Takeout Program administrative support, we now have a beautifully designed takeout menu with a plethora of options made specifically for our paramedics,” adds Peterborough County Warden, J. Murray Jones. “Our Paramedics do so much for us. It is so great to provide this for them, and at the same time contribute to local businesses.”

Photo courtesy DBIA

The Peterborough City-County Paramedics set aside funds for meals and accommodation to support the Paramedics through isolation. “Our paramedic team is giving all they’ve got and it’s our responsibility to accommodate them in these uncertain times,” adds PCCP Chief Randy Mellow. “We are very grateful to the DBIA, the downtown restaurants, Y Drive and the Holiday Inn for helping us look after them.”

Y Drive PTBO—a local app-based delivery service—stepped up to support the takeout program, providing free delivery for any participating restaurant unable to deliver foodstuffs themselves.

“Now, more than ever, we need to support our front-line workers—offering free delivery through this program allows Y Drive PTBO to give back to those who are working hard to safeguard our community health,” say Rob Davidson and Erica Young, co-owners and operators of Y Drive PTBO.

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