Situation Report #243: COVID-19 / Rapport sur la Situation #243: COVID-19

September 24, 2020

Situation:

 * Numbers from PHAC current as of 7 pm yesterday / Chiffres de l’ASPC à jour à 19h hier

** Ontario current as of 8:00 am today / Ontario figures updated at 8:00 am today.

Ontario:

Update 

• The COVID-19 Provincial Testing Guidance has been updated and is available on the Ministry’s website
• The Guidance for Mental Health and Addictions Service Providers in Community Settings has been updated and is available on the Ministry’s website

• Ontario Investing More Than $ 1 Billion to Expand COVID-19 Testing and Contact Tracing . The Ontario government is building on the largest provincial testing initiative in Canada by providing $ 1.07 billion to expand COVID-19 testing and case and contact management. The government is also immediately investing $ 30 million to prevent and manage outbreaks in priority sectors, including the province’s long-term care homes, retirement homes and schools. These investments are part of the province’s comprehensive plan to prepare the health system for a second wave of COVID-19.

• Ontario Updates COVID-19 Testing Guidelines . Publicly-funded testing will be available and easily accessible for those who are symptomatic, have had close contact with a confirmed case, or are part of an outbreak investigation. In addition, testing will continue to be available on a targeted basis for specific asymptomatic individuals who are at greater risk due to their health condition or employment, at the direction of the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care. Evolving our testing guidance in this way will support timely access to testing for those who need it.
  
  Effective immediately, Ontarians should only seek testing at assessment centers if you are:
  

• Showing COVID-19 symptoms;
• Have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by your public health unit or exposure notification through the COVID Alert app;
• A resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by your local public health unit; and
• Eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

Starting on September 25, you can get tested for COVID-19 at select pharmacies if you are not showing symptoms and eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

• Ontario Expands COVID-19 Testing to Pharmacies . As part of its fall preparedness plan, Keeping Ontarians Safe: Preparing for Future Waves of COVID-19, the Ontario government is partnering with pharmacies to expand access to COVID-19 testing to track, trace and isolate cases. Starting Friday, September 25, 2020, the pharmacy locations below will be offering free testing by appointment only to individuals with no symptoms of COVID-19. More pharmacy locations will make testing available in the coming weeks.

• For more information about cases and deaths in Ontario over the course of this pandemic, and for breakdowns by region, age, and sex, please view the Ontario COVID-19 Data Tool by Public Health Ontario.
• Please visit the ministry website for sector-specific guidance and directives, memorandums and other resources .