Board of Health

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the report titled Confirmation of the Chair and Vice-Chair for 2022 and the Medical Officer of Health Verbal Report , be received and considered.

WHEREAS there is increasing evidence that immunity can wane over time and that a third, or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine provides greater protection against severe outcomes due to COVID-19, which has led to all levels of government recommending a third, or booster dose to help restore and maintain protection against severe illness, complication or death due to COVID-19; and WHEREAS providing greater protection against severe illness and complications from COVID-19 also helps reduce the risk of hospitalization, thereby reducing the strain on hospital capacity; and WHEREAS the Omicron variant continues to circulate and hospital capacity is under pressure such that they are not able to operate as usual or continue to catch up on procedures and surgeries as needed; and WHEREAS in Ontario, all residents aged 18 and over have been eligible to receive a third, or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since December 20, 2021, with older residents and certain designated groups having been eligible since November 6, 2021 or earlier; and WHEREAS currently, 58% of Ottawa’s eligible population and 47% of Ottawa’s overall population have received a third, or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and every effort should be made to continue to increase third, or booster dose coverage among the eligible population; and WHEREAS recent experiences, both in Ontario and in other jurisdictions, have shown that vaccine policies, including proof of vaccination requirements, lead to higher vacci

WHEREAS in response to the arrival of the more transmissible Omicron variant, the Province shifted its approach with respect to COVID-19 PCR testing to focus on highest risk settings in order to manage outbreaks and maintain the critical workforce, which has led to most children and education / childcare workers no longer being eligible for PCR testing; and WHEREAS the Board of Health recognizes that COVID-19 testing is a responsibility of Ontario Health, that Ottawa’s testing centres are operated by local healthcare partners (hospitals and community health centres) and funded directly by the Ontario Ministry of Health, which sets the guidelines for testing eligibility, and that Ottawa Public Health has no operational oversight of testing criteria; and WHEREAS the Province has committed to providing rapid antigen tests (RATs) for students and staff in public elementary and secondary schools as well as for children and staff in childcare settings, based on an initial limited supply; and WHEREAS less robust testing, tracking and containment efforts can be expected to strain capacity elsewhere in our public systems; and WHEREAS concurrent with this shift in testing strategy we have seen an increasing number of for-profit ‘private’ PCR testing services in Ottawa and elsewhere in the province; and WHEREAS in addition to getting vaccinated when eligible and staying home when sick, good quality, snug fitting masks also provide and important layer of protection against the potential

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the report titled Confirmation of Chair and Vice-Chair for 2022 and the Medical Officer of Health Verbal Report, be received and adopted.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT Confirmation By-law no. 2022-1, a by-law of the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit to confirm the proceedings of the Ottawa Board of Health at its meeting of January 24, 2022, be read and passed.