Category: Grey-Bruce Health Unit
Influenza A makes early appearance in Grey-Bruce
Someone in Bruce County has tested positive for the flu, a sign the annual respiratory bug has come early this year, the Grey Bruce Health Unit announced Thursday. Influenza A was lab-confirmed Sept. 20. In years immediately before COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce, it was confirmed by a lab on Nov. 18, 2018 and on Nov. 20, […]
Most vulnerable in Grey-Bruce can get latest COVID-19 booster now
A new and improved COVID-19 vaccine that tackles both the original pandemic virus and subsequent Omicron variants is now available for the most vulnerable people in Grey-Bruce, the Grey Bruce Health Unit has announced. The vaccine is available for residents in long-term care, retirement homes and other congregate settings that provide assisted-living and health services, […]
Pace of local suspected drug deaths slowing, events planned
Community events marking International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31 come amid a series of local deaths which have slowed this year over last. Statistics show 28 people died by fentanyl or another opioid overdose in Grey-Bruce last year. But those are just coroner-confirmed cases. There were actually 46 suspected drug deaths in Grey-Bruce last […]
Suspected drug fatality in the city Thursday
Someone in their mid-30’s died of a suspected drug overdose in Owen Sound Thursday, which prompted the health unit urge people who use drugs not to use them alone. There has been an ongoing trend this month of multiple overdoses in Grey-Bruce, with public health issuing three opioid alerts in August. This is the first […]
Bird in Lion’s Head infected with West Nile, no known human cases
West Nile virus has been found in a dead Cooper’s hawk in Lion’s Head but there have been no reported cases in people anywhere in Ontario as of Aug. 6. The hawk was submitted for testing in late July, the Grey Bruce Health Unit said in a news release Tuesday. It’s the first bird to […]
COVID vaccine for small children now available in Grey-Bruce
The pediatric COVID-19 vaccine Moderna Spikevax is available for children aged six months to five years in Grey-Bruce, at weekly health unit clinics, pharmacies, from family doctors and other primary-care providers. This vaccine is authorized by Health Canada for children within this youngest and latest group of children approved to receive a COVID vaccine, a Grey Bruce Health Unit […]
Local MOH says plan in place locally as booster eligibility expands, new vaccine for children approved
Anyone 18 and older is now eligible for a second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario while infants and children are now able to receive a newly approved Moderna vaccine. The province announced the expanded eligibility for second booster doses Wednesday in a move made to provide an extra layer of protection for […]
Grey-Bruce so far unaffected by COVID’s summer wave, MOH says
Some infectious diseases experts are calling an uptick in virus transmission indicators a “summer wave”, but in Grey-Bruce the waters remain calm. Specialists now often use wastewater data to identify transmission trends in Ontario as testing for COVID-19, while consistent among those eligible, is no longer done widely enough to paint a detailed picture. Wastewater […]
Masks will still be required at area hospitals when mandates lift Saturday
With most remaining mask mandates set to lift in Ontario, the region’s medical officer of health said infection indicators and COVID-19 trends remain positive in Grey-Bruce. More mask mandates are set to expire Saturday, though masking will remain mandatory in long-term care and retirement homes and are still recommended in high-risk settings. Dr. Ian Arra […]
Health unit issues opioid alert following five overdoses in 48 hours
The Grey Bruce Health Unit has issued an opioid alert following at least five drug overdoses within a 48-hour period. The health unit said the drug fentanyl is the suspected or probable opioid responsible for the overdoses, which were all non-fatal. None of the overdoses have been confirmed by toxicology. In each of the overdoses, […]