Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore gave L&A County council a glimpse into what the region may experience going forward with COVID-19.
Moore’s presentation, which was done via video link from his Kingston office, was part of a special council meeting, which was broadcast via Zoom on the county’s YouTube Channel.
“We as a community in KFLA and in particular L&A have done very well to date, I’m knocking on wood,” Moore said of limiting the spread of the virus, echoing similar comments he made in an interview with the Beaver last week. “This is a very aggressive virus that can come back into our community at any time.”
Along with offering praise for Lennox and Addington County General Hospital staff and residents for doing their part to contain the virus, Moore provided some projections as to what may happen next.
“We’re trying to develop a vaccine that would use these surface proteins (found on the actual virus) for human use in the next 12-18 months,” Moore said of the ongoing worldwide effort to slow the disease. “Clearly it has to be safe, it has to be effective, it has to go through phased trials and it won’t be in our hands very soon. Certainly Public Health wouldn’t use it unless it was proven in large studies to have zero or minimal complications and it was effective. We’re a ways off but eventually we either have to get immunity naturally through exposure from the virus, and none of us basically have been exposed to the virus except 59 individuals (as of Thursday) we have documented of 200,000 people (within KFLA). The other way to build immunity is through vaccination, the other way to protect the population is through treatment, but we don’t have a treatment yet.”
Moore said it was those main reasons-the fact there is no vaccine or treatment-that COVID-19 is not like influenza. He also noted COVID-19 is here to stay and will become one of five seasonal Coronaviruses that will become a common occurrence, likely spiking every winter in Canada.
“This is an aggressive virus, it really wants to spread quickly from one person, to three, to nine, to 27 to 81 and do so basically every five to seven days,” said Moore. “The incubation period, on average, is around five to seven days, maximum incubation is 14 days and that’s why we isolate individuals that have been returning from outside of Canada or that have been in contact with someone for 14 full days. If they don’t demonstrate the virus during that time frame, they can get back to work.”
Moore did offer some positive news for those looking forward to the fishing season, at least within the KFLA borders. He noted the numbers of infectious cases are low in KFLA, Leeds-Grenville-Lanark and Hastings-Prince Edward County and travel within that region is safe, provided physical distancing measures and regular hand washing is practiced. He did warn against travelling too far outside the region.
“I think travel within our region of Hastings-Prince Edward, Leeds-Grenville-Lanark and KFLA is reasonable,” said Moore. “Inter-provincial travel outside of our region, I think it is posing a risk. There are some hot spots, Ottawa, Toronto, down near the Windsor corridor because they’re so close to Detroit, their rates are taking off. I think for this year, and I’m sorry to say it, tourism is going to be exceptionally limited, travel is going to be exceptionally limited. People are going to be staying in their own community, that is the safest thing to do at present. Travel within our general region is safe….A couple of people in a boat at a time is safe. I think it would be reasonable at boat launches when they’re open that people keep separated and they wash their hands on any contact services. It’s going to be very difficult to not allow our society some freedoms to get back to some semblance of normal, especially in context we have five people out of 200,000 that are infectious….There’s very limited other spread in our community. It will come in from outside, but generally we’re safe in our bubble, but we can’t live in our bubble forever.”
Moore did however warn that although KFLA has seen its first wave of the virus peak, there will be others and it won’t ever completely disappear, as has been suggested by some political leaders, a very likely nod towards U.S. President Donald Trump.
“The problem is they’re listening to the internet, they’re listening to some political leaders that say don’t worry about it, it’s going to go away in the spring, don’t worry about it for the winter coming up,” Moore said of people who may want to rush to open everything up again. “We know who that is, south of the border. He’s not to be listened to. He can’t be listened to. These are falsehoods. They’re deceptions. Perhaps he’s trying to give hope where it’s unrealistic hope. We all have a role to play, we’re all going to be to be vigilant. We can’t let our guard down.”
-Stephen Paul, director of L&A community development services, spoke to council about some of the programs available for local businesses amid COVID-19 shutdowns.
The first of which is the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
“It’s really the new EI for COVID-19,” said Paul. “It’s $2,000 per month and what we have found is that all self-employed, all business owners, all employees have been eligible for this and have been able to get dollars into their bank accounts within three to four days of applying, which is great. There has been a lot changes on the fly with a lot of these programs and one that’s been a benefit on the CERB side is now anyone making less than $1,000 a month are still eligible for the $2,000.”
Another program available to businesses is the Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA).
“That’s a maximum $40,000 loan to support operating expenses, payroll, other expenses that are really keeping a lot of our businesses alive right now,” said Paul of the CEBA. “If those are paid back by the end of 2022, you only actually have to pay back 75 per cent. At a $40,000 loan, pay back $30,000 with zero per cent interest, the remaining $10,000 is a grant.”
Paul said that loan program is unique in that it’s one of the few to date that offers any sort of grant, without the full amount to be paid back.
The last program Paul touched upon was the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which offers employers $847 per employee for up to 12 weeks.
“This will really work best for those that are operating right now and do have employees or are larger corporations to allow them that business continuity and that ability to start up immediately,” said Paul. “Of course it provides a good wage for the employees as well, so it’s another alternative to the CERB program.”
Paul said they were waiting for the government to finalize a program that would assist with small businesses paying rent. On Friday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the Canada Emergency Rent Assistance program, which will cover up to 75 per cent of rent payments for small and medium sized businesses for April, May and June for those who pay less than $50,000 a month in rent.
-Prior to addressing any item on the agenda, L&A County warden Marg Isbester offered condolences to the families of the victims of the Nova Scotia shooting that left 22 dead.
“With all that’s been thrown at them with the COVID-19 pandemic, their families, friends, neighbours, co-workers and frontline personnel have had to endure even more with the loss of so many in a tragic and senseless way, I know that you all join with me in sending thoughts and prayers to the residents of those communities and all of Nova Scotia hoping they will go in some way to help them get through this tragic time,” said Isbester.
Flags were lowered across the county in tribute to those who lost their lives.