Health Department continues to keep community informed on latest public health news

A message from your Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Kyle

Between December 2022 and February 2023, the Health Department launched two surveys to receive community feedback on two of our communication tools. The first survey was for the Durham Region COVID-19 Data Tracker. First launched in mid-2020, the Durham Region COVID-19 Data Tracker quickly became a valuable resource to help the community monitor COVID-19 related activity. From the number of cases in various Durham Region communities, to the response rate to vaccine uptake, the COVID-19 Data Tracker served as a key go-to resource as we continued to navigate ongoing pandemic related activity.

The second survey was for the #PublicHealthProtects messages that I posted throughout the pandemic. These messages provided me with the opportunity to engage with members of our community and share new and emerging information as we lived through the rapidly changing COVID-19 environment.

Through your feedback, we have recently updated the Durham Region COVID-19 Data Tracker to the new Durham Region Respiratory Virus Data Tracker, providing a comprehensive weekly summary of respiratory virus activity in the region. The Respiratory Virus Data Tracker highlights information about COVID-19 and influenza cases, institutional outbreaks, and wastewater surveillance.

I’m also pleased to announce the relaunch of #PublicHealthProtects which will once again be posted on this website, with my first message focussing on the importance of receiving the flu vaccine, along with encouraging everyone to also receive the latest COVID-19 XBB vaccine this respiratory viral illness season.

The flu vaccine protects you from the influenza virus which causes a contagious respiratory viral illness, and the new XBB COVID-19 vaccine helps to protect against the new Omicron XBB variant. It is safe to receive the COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same time. Both vaccines are free and recommended for everyone six-months and older.

Receiving the flu and COVID-19 vaccines helps to reduce your chances of being infected with respiratory viral illnesses, and prevents severe illness and more serious complications, including hospitalization and death. Individuals six-months and older who have been previously vaccinated against COVID-19, are encouraged to receive a COVID-19 XBB vaccine if it has been at least six months, or 168 days, since their last COVID-19 vaccination or known COVID-19 infection.

Residents can receive the flu and COVID-19 XBB vaccines at the same time at select health care providers and participating pharmacies. For a list of pharmacies offering these vaccines visit ontario.ca/vaccine-locations.

Parents of children six-months to two-years old who do not have access to a health care provider but would like to have their children receive flu vaccine are encouraged to call Durham Health Connection Line at 905-668-2020 or 1-800-841-2729.

For more information about the flu vaccines visit durham.ca/flu. For more information about the COVID-19 vaccines, including Health Department community immunization clinics visit durham.ca/covidvaccines.