Free rapid COVID-19 testing kits are now available to businesses
Visit gncc.ca/workplace-self-screening-kits to learn more and reserve kits for your organization.
Heat Alert issued for Niagara Region on July 5 and 6
Environment Canada has issued a heat alert for the Niagara region. Maximum daytime temperatures from 31 to 34 degrees Celsius are expected with humidex values near 40. Overnight low temperatures are forecast to fall to only 21 to 25 degrees, providing little relief from the heat.
Hot and humid air can also bring deteriorating air quality and can cause the Air Quality Health Index to approach the high risk category. Watch for the effects of heat illness: swelling, rash, cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and the worsening of some health conditions.
Drink plenty of water even before you feel thirsty and stay in a cool place. Never leave people or pets inside a parked vehicle.
COVID-19 vaccination clinic hits milestone with 200,000 doses administered
Niagara Health’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre in St. Catharines reached a new milestone this weekend by surpassing 200,000 vaccine doses administered.
The Niagara Health clinic team at Seymour-Hannah arena can administer approximately 2,500 vaccinations per day based on vaccine supply and has administered almost half of all doses in Niagara.
Niagara Medical Officer of Health offers COVID-19 update
Niagara house prices reach record high in June, 2021
In spite of a slight ebb in the number of reported sales and new listings over the last three months, market conditions remain tight enough to push the average selling price to another record high in June, reports the Niagara Association of Realtors. The HPI Benchmark Average House Price in June was $655,200, up 1% over May and 39.7% over June of 2020.
The characteristics of the HPI composite benchmark is a home between the age of 51 to 99 with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Reading Recommendations
Business optimism and hiring plans surge to record in Bank of Canada survey
CBC News
New data from the Bank of Canada show hiring intentions among businesses have hit an all-time high and workers’ confidence in landing a job has rebounded nearly to pre-pandemic levels.
The business outlook survey shows most businesses across the country and sectors plan to hire over the next 12 months as they foresee faster sales growth as restrictions loosen.
However, the survey notes that some businesses in high-contact service sectors like restaurants don’t expect a return to their pre-pandemic staffing levels for at least the next 12 months.
The central bank’s survey of consumer expectations says nearly half of respondents who lost hours or income because of the pandemic reported having a harder time finding work in their field now than a year ago.
Tech companies want workers faster so they’re designing their own microcredentials at colleges, universities
Financial Post
Microcredentials and programs that effectively retrain a worker and deliver better hands-on experience will be key as the Canadian economy pivots to more digital-focused businesses, said Alison Evans Adnani, the senior lead for Shopify Inc.’s own post-secondary training program called DevDegree.
“As more and more companies get into software, we have more of a need for a skilled workforce to create the software that helps make our companies work,” Evans Adnani said.
There are risks, however, in having the private sector help curate the programs at public academic institutions. It makes strategic sense for companies to get involved, but that could be at the expense of developing a more rounded foundation, said Philip Oreopoulos, an economist at the University of Toronto who focuses on education policy.
Niagara COVID Stats Tracker (June 26)
| December 18 | December 25 | January 1 | January 8 | January 15 | January 22 | January 29 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive number | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| New cases per 100,000 | 101.2 | 267.3 | 469.8 | 575.8 | 507.1 | 295.5 | 250.6 |
| New cases per day (not including outbreaks) | 60.7 | 178.7 | 311.7 | 376.9 | 325.4 | 182.7 | 145.7 |
| Percent of hospital beds occupied | 97% | 95.2% | 98.2% | 103.2% | 104.5% | 103.6% | 106% |
| Percent of intensive care beds occupied | 78.8% | 77.3% | 87.9% | 87.9% | 90.9% | 89.4% | 93.9% |
| Percentage of positive tests | 6.1% | 15.6% | 28.1% | 28.6% | 26.6% | 21.2% | 16.2% |
These data show the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Niagara. The Province of Ontario is now using a provincewide approach to reopening, and these data no longer have any influence on Niagara’s restrictions.
Data are drawn from Niagara Region Public Health.
Guide
Reproductive number: the average number of new cases each case causes. If each person infects one other person, the rate is 1; if each person infects two people, the rate is 2. Under the outdated COVID-19 response framework, the target for “green-prevent” was less than 1.
New cases per 100,000: the total number of new cases per week identified per 100,000 population. Under the outdated COVID-19 response framework, the target for “green-prevent” was less than 10.
New cases per day: the total number of new cases identified per day over seven days using a rolling average. This number does not include identified outbreaks.
Percent of hospital beds occupied: the total percentage of the Niagara Health System’s hospital beds currently in use. The average occupancy rate of both acute care beds and total hospital beds in Ontario was 96 per cent in 2018-19. It should be noted that this rate was the highest (worst) in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Percent of intensive care beds occupied: the total percentage of the Niagara Health System’s intensive care hospital beds currently in use. The average occupancy rate of both acute care beds and total hospital beds in Ontario was 96 per cent in 2018-19. It should be noted that this rate was the highest (worst) in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Percentage of positive tests: the percentage of COVID-19 tests that were positive. Under the outdated COVID-19 response framework, the target for “green-prevent” was less than 0.5%.
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker (July 5)
Niagara’s most up-to-date vaccination numbers are presented below, along with comparison data from Ontario, Canada, and G7 countries.
Total doses administered in Niagara: 483,951
Total doses administered in Niagara since yesterday: 5,631
Ontario is currently in Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen.
Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen will begin when Ontario has vaccinated 70-80% of adults with one dose, 25% of adults with two doses, has positive public health indicators, and has been in Step Two for at least 21 days. Step Two began at 12:01 a.m. on June 30, 2021.
| Percentage of population with one dose | Percentage of population fully vaccinated | |
|---|---|---|
| Niagara | 82.7% | 78.2% |
| Ontario | 84.6% | 79.1% |
| Canada | 84.7% | 78.6% |
| United States | 75% | 64% |
| United Kingdom | 78% | 72% |
| Germany | 76% | 74% |
| France | 80% | 77% |
| Italy | 83% | 76% |
| Japan | 80% | 79% |
| World | 63% | 53% |
Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.
