Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

WASHINGTON On Friday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Lloyd Austin regarding the Armysrecent letterto previously discharged service members who were involuntarily separated after refusing to comply with the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination order, allowing them to request a correction of their records and potentially apply to return to service.

Sen. Johnson wrote,Allowing service members torequestto correct their records or potentially apply to return to service falls well short of providing those brave men and women any kind of compensation resulting from their involuntary separation and a profound apology for upending their lives.

If DOD wants to restore its credibility and trust among current and prospective service members, it needs to show that it is willing to be transparent and forthcoming regarding the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines,Sen. Johnson continued.

Sen. Johnson has previously described DODs credibility issues in hismultiple letterson data integrity issues in theDefense Medical Epidemiology Database (DMED). His office continues to receive reports from DOD whistleblowers indicating that adverse medical events are alarmingly persistent in DMED.

For over two years, DOD has stonewalled the senators oversight work that could provide service members and their families much much-needed information about the health consequences of the vaccines.

Last month, DOD admitted to Sen. Johnson that it had identified an increased incidence of very rare conditions myo/pericarditis during COVID-19 vaccine introduction in 2021. However, DOD attempted to downplay the significance of this by stating: It is difficult to report precise numbers of adverse events following immunization since establishing a causal relationship between vaccination and a clinical diagnosis can be challenging. Nonetheless, the military has identified 80-90 cases of myo/pericarditis in Service members following administration of more than 4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in this population.

Over the last two years I have sent over 60 public letters to federal agencies, including DOD, on various aspects of the pandemic. The overall lack of transparency from you and your colleagues on COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy is appalling,Sen. Johnson stated.

The senator is still waiting to receive complete answers to questions his staff sent DOD following the publication of anews articlethat reported on new information from a DOD whistleblower on more increases in medical diagnoses in DMED. The senator also reiteratedrequests for Tricare datathat he made to DOD nearly one year ago. DOD has failed to provide any response to that letter.

Inquiries and requests for information concerning the health and well-being of service members should never be ignored, particularly when those questions are from members of Congress and their staff,the senator concluded.

He is requesting a response to his inquiries by no later than December 15, 2023.

Read more about the senators December 1, 2023 letter to Sec. Austin in theEpoch Times.

Full text of the letter can be foundhere.

###

See original here:

Sen. Johnson to Department of Defense Sec. Austin: The Overall ... - Senator Ron Johnson

FILE - A person prepares a COVID-19 vaccine shot in an undated photo. (Associated Press)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (TND)

A New Zealand IT worker was arrested Sunday over accusations he was involved in "unauthorised disclosure and misuse of data involving the COVID-19 vaccine, 1News reports.

Barry Young, 56, allegedly accessed a computer network within public health agency "Te Whatu Ora" for dishonest purposes and downloaded a terabyte of data. Young then published the information online and used it to bolster claims the agency was covering up vaccine deaths.

Te Whatu Ora CEO Margie Apa said the claims pushed by the employee are misinformation.

New Zealand Health Minister Shane Reti also spoke out on the breach, calling it concerning.

We take the security of our data very seriously and are extremely disappointed at this gross breach of trust by this individual and his alleged involvement in spreading harmful misinformation, Reti said, while referring to the man as a conspiracy theorist.

Young faces up to seven years in prison for the offense. When he arrived in Wellington District Court for an initial hearing, a room of supporters rose and clapped for him, causing the judge to threaten to send them out. Young later yelled freedom before exiting the court.

Young will be released on bail until his trial at a later date.

Te Whatu Ora maintains only four deaths could be possibly linked to the vaccine of the more than 12 million issued throughout New Zealand.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced last week he would sue pharmaceutical company Pfizer for allegedly misrepresenting the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine. He also accusing the pharmaceutical company of "conspiring to censor public discourse."

Load more...

Read the original:

New Zealand health worker arrested for leaking COVID vaccine data, report says - KEYE TV CBS Austin

Toronto

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by Email

Allison Jones - The Canadian Press

Posted: December 04, 2023 Last Updated: December 04, 2023

There is a lot of COVID-19 circulating in Ontario right now, and levels of both that virus and influenza are on the rise, set to peak over the holiday season, the province's top doctor said Monday.

This is a key week for immunizing against both viruses, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said, as it takes 10 to 14 days for protection to take effect.

"I want to acknowledge that many people are tired of COVID, but it's not tired of us," Moore said in an interview.

"Certainly we're seeing lots of COVID activity across Ontario. Our metrics for last week were that we had 1,700 people in hospital, around 100 of them requiring intensive care."

That level is lower than at this time last year, but at that time COVID-19 activity was on a downswing, whereas now, it's on the rise, Moore said.

About 1.8 million Ontarians have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall, but that's just 13 per cent of the eligible population and 40 per cent of people over 65.

"Of the hospitalizations both for influenza and COVID, the risk is really associated with age the older that you are, the better protected we need you to be from those two infections through immunizations," he said.

"That leaves 60 per cent of our adults over 65 not protected at present and that's got me anxious as we head into the holiday season."

The rate of people getting COVID-19 vaccinations peaked three weeks ago, he said.

Flu activity is also on the rise, Moore said.

"It's anticipated, unlike last year, that influenza is following a more traditional pattern where it will be most active over the coming holiday and New Year's season, and so it'll be most transmissible in those social settings that are coming up," he said.

Moore does not intend to enact any public health measures.

"I think we'll just continue the risk communication and the measures that people can take in terms of layers of protection, and access to medications," he said.

For COVID-19, there were 6,000 doses of Paxlovid dispensed last week, he said.

When it comes to the triple surge of COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus that hit children hard last year and put pressure on children's hospitals, authorities have worked to ensure there won't be any shortages of children's Tylenol, Moore said.

"The system at large, I think, is prepared for this surge," he said.

"I do worry, though, as we head into influenza, that will be an extra burden on those hospitals."

There are also more than 200 people in hospital with RSV, roughly half of them children four years old and under and half people over 65.

Health Canada has approved an RSV vaccine for people aged 60 and older, but it is only available free of charge to people in that age group living in long-term care homes, Elder Care Lodges and retirement homes licensed to provide dementia care services.

The out-of-pocket cost for the medication can be over $250.

The government is looking at expanding public funding for the vaccine to alternative level of care patients in hospital people who can be discharged to a long-term care home, for example, but don't yet have a spot and/or dialysis patients, Moore said.

Read more:

COVID-19 and flu set to peak over holiday season in Ontario, Moore urges vaccinations - CBC.ca

Image credit: bizoo_n stock.adobe.com

Korean researchers reported that ptosis was associated with COVID-19 vaccination, particularly with the ChAdOx1 vaccine (AstraZeneca), while Guillain-Barr syndrome/Miller Fisher syndrome was associated with the COVID-19 infection,1 according to first authors Jae Yong Han, MD, and Sunyeup Kim, MD, from, respectively, the Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Vision Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea, and the Department of Medical AI, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.

With the numbers of infected individuals and vaccine recipients are rising, a growing number of ocular adverse events, including neuro-ophthalmic adverse events, have been reported in individuals with the COVID-19 infection and vaccinated individuals.2-6 Other studies reported that COVID-19 was associated with optic neuritis7-9 and ophthalmoplegia was related to third or sixth cranial nerve palsy.10-16 Adverse events caused by the vaccine have been reported.1721 However, the investigators explained, it is unclear if COVID-19 infection and vaccination are related directly to neuro-ophthalmic adverse events.

They conducted a large nationwide, population-based, retrospective cohort study to determine if there is an association between COVID-19 infection and vaccination with neuro-ophthalmic adverse events.

About 8.5 million patients in the Korean National Health Claim Database were classified in 1 of 3 groups: controls, those with the COVID-19 infection, and those vaccinated against COVID-19. The researchers separately analyzed the early phase (within 60 days) and late phases (61180 days) to estimate the incidence rates and hazard ratio (HR) for each neuro-ophthalmic adverse event that included optic neuritis, papilledema, ischemic optic neuropathy, third nerve palsy, fourth nerve palsy, sixth nerve palsy, facial palsy, nystagmus, ptosis, blepharospasm, anomalies of pupillary function, and Guillain-Barr syndrome/Miller Fisher syndrome.

The authors reported that neuro-ophthalmic adverse events, except for ptosis and Guillain-Barr syndrome/Miller Fisher syndrome, showed no significant increase after COVID-19, and their incidence rates were extremely low. The incidence rates of ptosis in the early and late phases were significantly higher in patients who received the COVID-19 vaccination (HR = 1.65 in the early phase and 2.02 in the late phase) compared with the control group. The BNT162b2 (PfizerBioNTech) vaccine was associated with a lower ptosis risk than the ChAdOx1 vaccine. Guillain-Barr syndrome/Miller Fisher syndrome occurred significantly more often during the early phase (HR = 5.97) in patients with COVID-19 infection than in the control group.

The authors concluded, Ptosis was associated with the COVID-19 vaccination, particularly with the ChAdOx1 vaccine, while Guillain-Barr syndrome/Miller Fisher syndrome was associated with the COVID-19 infection. In contrast, no association was found between other neuro-ophthalmic adverse events and COVID-19 infection or vaccination. These results may provide helpful insights for diagnosing and treating neuro-ophthalmologic adverse events after COVID-19.

Originally posted here:

Neuro-ophthalmic adverse events associated with COVID-19 ... - Modern Retina

SUPERIOR Court Associate Judge Wesley Bogdan has affirmed the decision of the Civil Service Commission and dismissed the petition of Joseph N. Taisakan for a judicial review.

Taisakan, a former Corrections officer, was terminated for his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Represented by attorney Joseph Horey, Taisakan appealed the decision of then-Corrections Commissioner Wally Villagomez, and the CSCs affirmation of that decision.

Two issues were before the Superior Court: 1) whether the commissioners decision to terminate petitioner was unconstitutional or otherwise unlawful; and 2) whether CSCs decision affirming petitioners termination was arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.

In a 15-page order issued on Dec. 3, Judge Bogdan finds that the former commissioners decision to terminate Taisakan was not unconstitutional or otherwise unlawful, and the court declines to set it aside.

This Court has great respect for the First Amendment and its protection of freedom of religion, the judge said. With that said, what occurred here was not a violation of Petitioners constitutional rights. The Petitioner was afforded ample opportunity to invoke and substantiate his request for a religious exemption and chose not to participate in the process, which he himself concedes was procedurally proper. His subsequent termination was not, therefore, based on his religious convictions or even his request for a religious exemption itself, but rather on his failure to comply with the Governors Directive, his violation of the employee code of conduct and code of ethics, and his insubordination.

Judge Bogdan said the CSCs termination of Taisakan was not arbitrary, capricious, and abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with the law.

The judge declined to set aside CSCs decision.

The record before the court shows that CSCs decision was well-supported by the facts, well-reasoned, and grounded in law, the judge added.

Background

Taisakan was employed by the Department of Corrections from 2004 to 2022 as a Corrections Officer II.

On Feb. 18, 2021, the then-governor issued Directive No. 2021-002, which required executive branch employees to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus and provide proof of vaccination.

In lieu of getting vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus, the governors directive allowed employees to seek an approved medical or religious exemption.

On Feb. 23, 2021, Corrections issued a memorandum notifying all its employees that they had until March 12, 2021, to comply with the governors directive.

On April 12, 2021, the Civil Service Commission issued a bulletin notifying employees that the time period for compliance had been extended and that they had until April 30, 2021, to comply with the governors directive or risk the possibility of termination from employment.

On April 15, 2021, the then-Corrections commissioner issued a second memorandum stating that all department employees were required to submit their proof of vaccination or request for a medical/religious exemption by no later than April 30, 2021, in accordance with the CSCs announcement.

Taisakan did not submit any proof of vaccination or request for a medical/religious exemption by either the original March 12, 2021 deadline or the extended April 30, 2021 deadline.

On Oct. 12, 2021, the commissioner issued a letter specifically to Taisakan requesting either proof that petitioner had registered for the Covid-19 vaccine or a statement of his intent to seek a medical/religious exemption, to be provided by Oct. 20, 2021.

On Oct. 14, 2021, Taisakan submitted a letter to the director of Corrections, Georgia Cabrera, asserting a religious exemption.

Specifically, the letter stated: I am a devout Catholic.... My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and to corrupt the sanctity of the blood with unnatural components, not created by the hand of God, is tantamount to a desecration of my beliefs. I firmly believe that it is my God-given right to protect my body from any man-made contaminants that may change and alter my body as it was created from the image of God.

On Oct. 15, 2021, the commissioner responded to the petitioners letter with a request for additional information pertaining to how or why Taisakans religious belief prevented him from receiving the vaccine.

The commissioner sought the petitioners answer to the following questions:

Does your religious belief prohibit vaccination generally [or] prohibit the Covid-19 vaccine specifically?

What other eating or living habits have you adopted that stem from your religious convictions regarding protecting your body from any man-made contaminants?

What other vaccinations have you received, and when?

What over-the-counter medications or prescription medications have you taken, and when?

What reasonable accommodations are you specifically requesting? Describe any alternate accommodations that might address your needs.

Taisakan was asked to provide this additional information by Oct. 21, 2021, or risk termination.

No response

On Oct. 22, 2021, Taisakan submitted a response that did not answer any of the commissioners questions and instead asserted that his original letter from Oct. 14, 2021, was sufficient to show his sincerely held religious belief.

Although nonresponsive to the follow-up questions, Taisakans reply did include multiple articles discussing, generally, the extent to which an employer may inquire into a persons religious beliefs.

On Oct. 26, 2021, the commissioner sent a third letter to the petitioner acknowledging Taisakans response but informing him that there was not yet sufficient information to evaluate the sincerity and religious nature of his request.

The commissioner reiterated his questions and asked Taisakan to respond by Nov. 9, 2021, or risk termination.

On Nov. 10, 2021, Taisakan submitted another untimely response repeating what he had said in his previous letters i.e., that his belief was sincerely held, and that the commissioner was going beyond the limit of his ability to inquire into a persons religious beliefs.

Taisakans response again failed to answer any of the commissioners questions, including the question of what accommodations he was specifically requesting.

On Nov. 24, 2021, Taisakan was served with a Notice of Proposed Adverse Action (Termination from Service with Cause) informing him that he was being terminated for failure to comply with the governors directive, in violation of NMIAC 10-20.2-436(a)(2) & (b) (Code of Ethics), 10-20.2-438 (Policy on Employee Conduct), and 10-20.2-440 (Subordination to Authority).

On Jan. 11, 2022, the commissioner issued the appointing authoritys final decision on adverse action sustaining the allegations against Taisakan and ordering his termination effective Jan. 14, 2022.

Taisakan timely appealed his termination on Jan. 26, 2022.

On June 28, 2022, the Civil Service Commission held an administrative hearing in response to the appeal.

On Dec. 6, 2022, the CSC affirmed Taisakans termination in its findings of fact and conclusions of law.

On Jan. 5, 2023, Taisakan filed the petition for judicial review in Superior Court.

Excerpt from:

Judge upholds termination of ex-Corrections officer who refused ... - Marianas Variety News & Views

One of the ongoing concerns for clinicians has been the risk associated for prolonged COVID-19 infections amongst people with immunocompromised conditions. In addition, there has a been an ongoing hypothesis that these patients may be a source of highly mutated variants of concern.

As such, investigators conducted a study looking at these 2 hypotheses. Specifically, the investigators included 5 hospitals in the Investigating Respiratory Viruses in the Acutely Ill (IVY) Network and prospectively looked at immunocompromised patients when the Omicron variant was the dominant strain circulating in the United States.

Eligible participants were identified as SARS-CoV-2-positive in the previous 14 days and had an immunocompromised condition, including either a malignancy, a solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (SOT/HSCT), a autoimmune/autoinflammatory condition on immunosuppression, AIDS, or primary immunodeficiency.

They did see a different amongst the various groups that were at higher risk of prolonged infections which was defined as 21 days or longer. Patients with B cell dysfunction had prolonged infection compared to those with autoimmune/autoinflammatory conditions (aHR 0.28, 95% CI 0.140.58), the investigators wrote.

One of the key findings from our study was that not all immunocompromised patients are at risk for prolonged viral shedding or infection. In our patient population, it was really patients with B cell depletion or patients with B cell dysfunction, said investigator Zoe M. Raglow, MD, fellow, University of Michigan. And likely people living with AIDSalthough that was an underrepresented group in our study. So, we couldn't really make any definitive conclusions about the AIDS group, but those were the groups that were really at risk for prolonged viral shedding or prolonged infection.

She says this patient population may need further clinical care consideration.

Understanding that not all immunocompromised patients are really at risk for prolonged infection, [and that] we should prospectively target patients who are at higher risk, so those are the patients with B-cell depletion or B-cell dysfunction[These are] potentially the patients that should be targeted for enhanced antiviral strategies to try to ensure that these patients clear their infection, Raglow said.

Secondarily, the investigators looked to see if the patients might play a role in global variants of concern.

We looked at our immunocompromised population to see if there was evidence that variants that accumulated in these patients were then seen in global circulationand we really didn't see evidence of that, Raglow said. So most of the mutations we saw in these patients we're not seeing on a global scale.

Contagion spoke to Raglow during IDWeek and she offered further insights on the study and potential implications going forward.

Reference

Raglow Z, Surie D, Chappell J, et al. A Prospective Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 Shedding and Evolution in Immunocompromised Hosts During the Omicron Period IVY Network, 5 U.S. States, April 11, 2022 February 1, 2023. October 11-14, 2023; Boston, MA. Abstract 1097.

Read more from the original source:

Not All Immunocompromised Patients Are at Risk for Prolonged ... - Contagionlive.com

A smaller percentage of kids in North Texas are vaccinated now compared to 2017.

Thats according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services and a biannual report from Childrens Health in Dallas, assessing seven counties, including Dallas, Tarrant, Denton and Collin.

In 2017, the percentage of kids in those counties vaccinated for diseases like polio, hepatitis and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) was between 95%-96%. But in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, these numbers have dropped to between 91%-93%.

Most states require some form of vaccinations for students and young kids. At Dallas ISD, for example, students enrolling for the first time have to be vaccinated against MMR, chicken pox, Hepatitis A and B and other diseases unless they have an exemption.

The percentage of conscientious exemptions to vaccinations has also been increasing in Texas over the past decade for all grade levels, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Back in 2012, a little over 1% of kindergarten students were vaccine exempt. Now its more than 3.5%.

Dallas County Health and Human Services director Philip Huang said one reason is vaccines have been a victim of their own success.

People don't see kids in iron lungs from polio anymore, but it's because of the effectiveness of vaccines, he said. But then it starts to get people questioning, Oh, do I still need these? And absolutely, people do need the vaccines.

He said the number of visitors to the countys immunization clinics has dropped since 2020. Huang said in 2019, clinics had almost 43,000 visitors. So far in 2023, that number is closer to 27,000.

Hes concerned misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine has started to impact other kinds of immunizations.

Different misinformation that's been out there has affected people's trust in some of these things, Huang said.

Ted Shaffrey

Kisha Davis, a family physician and board member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said similar trends are happening nationally.

There were always pockets of the population that had concerns about vaccinations and there were certain communities who wanted to opt out, she said. But I think COVID raised the level of concern around vaccinations.

She said unlike the newer COVID-19 vaccine, vaccines like those against MMR have been around since the 1960s.

For generations, really, we've had vaccines as a tool in our toolbox to really help prevent and fight infection, Davis said. When we look at the benefit of having vaccines, while we understand that there's some skepticism, we have years and years and years of data.

She wants to remind people that childhood vaccinations prevent worse health outcomes for kids later in life.

The HPV vaccine, the human papilloma virus, that vaccine helps prevent the virus that can cause cervical cancer, Davis said. That has huge implications on the downstream effects of people's lives.

Vaccinations dont just help kids and families, she said; they improve community health outcomes overall.

When we think about childhood vaccines, were protecting that individual kid, and also we're protecting that whole classroom of kids that they are sitting together with, Davis said.

She encourages parents and families to bring questions about vaccines to their pediatrician or family doctor.

People get information from so many places now, Davis said. There's Dr. Google and social media, and it can be really hard to know what's true, what's false and whats misinformation. Really having that trusted source, [going] back to your primary care physician, theyre the ones who can answer the question.

Got a tip? Email Elena Rivera aterivera@kera.org

KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, considermaking a tax-deductible gift today.Thank you.

Read more here:

Fewer kids in North Texas are getting vaccinated. COVID ... - KERA News

As the flu season continues and medical centers see an uptick in hospitalizations related to the coronavirus, Triton College is hosting a COVID vaccine and booster clinic including other shots for other viruses Thursday.

Boosters will be available, as well as other regularly scheduled vaccines, such as flu, pneumonia, shingles and tetanus are expected to made available, according to a college news release announcing the vaccination event. The shots are to be administered in the cafeteria.

Triton is having a vaccine/booster clinic to encourage individuals to get vaccinated and boosted in an easy and convenient manner, said Laura Hill, R.N., director of health services

Hill said in the release that all eligible students, faculty and staff may get vaccinated, and walk-ins are welcome.

Trained pharmacists from Jewel-Osco will be administering the vaccines and boosters, according to the release.

Vaccines and boosters are an important way to protect us from serious illness and dying from COVID-19, said Hill.

According to Hill, everyone over the age of 5 should get one dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from the disease. None of the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines are preferred above the other, she stated in the release.

Follow this link:

Triton College offering COVID-19, flu and other immunizations to ... - Chicago Tribune

Introduction

Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic was announced in March of 2020, there has been over 770,085,713 confirmed casesand 6,956,173 deaths worldwide as of the end of August 2023.1,2 The pandemic spread is mostly due to its high rate of contagion and mutation, resistance to climatic variations, and simple mode of transmission. Several worrisome variants for COVID-19 have been identified, which include Delta and Omicron. As recently as the 9th of August, the EG.5 - a descendant sublineage of Omicron has been assigned as a variant of interest due to its high ability to spread globally and contribute to a surge in hospitalisations.3

Worldwide, several measures were taken to control the spread and subsequent detrimental consequences of infection as recommended by international guidelines. These included lockdowns, curfews, and travel restrictions. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Ministry of Health (MoH) in cooperation with other governmental agencies, took several measures to contain and control the spread of infection. These included mass lockdowns, suspension of international flights and rapid deployments of testing protocols.4 Furthermore, the MoH always maintained direct communication with its citizens via campaigns that promote personal protective measures, vaccinations and testing through several channels that included text messages, daily news reports and through official social media accounts.5 The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority had also launched the Tawakkalna mobile application which was and still is successfully able to support government efforts through the issuance of movement permits during curfew periods as well as showing the users health immune status.6

Evidence has shown that the elderly population are considered among the most vulnerable in the face of COVID-19. Although, this has not been yet fully understood on a molecular level, it is clear that age alone is a significant risk factor for death due to the disease.7,8 Also, severity of COVID-19 is significantly associated with the presence of comorbidities, such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes and respiratory disease which are more prevalent in this age group.8 Therefore, since the arrival of vaccines to the KSA on December 2020, the priority was to vaccinate the most vulnerable groups which included patients with comorbidities, immunocompromised patients, all first line responders and naturally those aged 65 years of age and above.9

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, such as proof of vaccinations and mask mandates were lifted in March 2023, the importance of abiding by national and international guidelines is crucial in this age group. Although several studies have been published that explored the attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccinations, none have targeted this specific vulnerable age group. The only study that looked at adults and included 116 adults aged above 60 years, has found that the vaccination acceptance rate was low, and that this was mainly due to concerns regarding its safety and potential side effects.10 Therefore, this study aimed to explore the willingness and hesitancy of the elderly aged 65 years and above regarding the uptake of both the COVID-19 tests and vaccines and explore the reasons of both.

This cross-sectional study recruited elderly patients within the Eastern region of the KSA. The eligibility criteria were being aged 65 years or older. Patients who were diagnosed with neurocognitive disorders, such as dementia and Parkinsons disease were excluded from the study.

The study was approved by the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal Universitys Institutional Review Board (IRB-2023-01-302). Participation in this study was voluntary and anonymous. To comply with ethical considerations of the research, consent to participate was obtained from all participants. The study complied with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

The minimum required sample size was 378. This was based on a prevalence of 43.85% for the willingness to vaccinate among adults in the KSA.10 The precision of 5% and alpha level of 0.05 were used in the calculation of the sample size. The sample size calculation was performed in Epi info 7.0. Due to the sensitive and delicate nature of our target population, the subjects were enrolled via a non-probability sampling technique from community health centres where visits were usually for physical examinations. People were approached and invited to voluntarily participate in the study by responding to face-to-face interviews between the 1st and 31st of August 2023.

The questionnaire used in this study was developed based on an extensive review of the literature,1113 as well as after discussion between the research team. The tool had two main parts, the first was based on sociodemographic variables which included variables on age, sex, level of education (below high school, high school graduate, university or postgraduate), whether the participant was a healthcare professional (yes/no), presence of chronic conditions (yes/no), living circumstances (alone/with family), perceived financial status (poor/good), had been familiar with a person who had been infected with COVID-19 (yes/no) and had been familiar with someone who had died from COVID-19 (yes/no).

The second part of the tool consisted of questions on attitudes of acceptance and hesitancy towards testing against COVID-19 as well as questions on attitudes of acceptance and hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine. Two experts reviewed the questionnaire and approved the final version, the first a geriatric consultant and the second was a preventive medicine consultant to enhance content validity and ensure that all questions were within the Saudi context. A pilot study was performed on 20 elderly participants, and their responses were excluded from the final analysis. After the pilot study, no modifications on the tool were made.

All variables were coded and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0.14 For vaccine uptake, the outcome was categorised into three categories, the first was none for respondents who had no vaccines, partial for those who had only one dose of the vaccine, and complete for respondents with two, three and four vaccines. For descriptive statistics, frequencies and percentages were used for all categorical variables, and means standard deviations for continuous variables. Cross tabulations using Chi-squared tests, and where applicable Fishers Exact tests were performed to compute the p-value. The level of significance was set at 0.05.

The total number of elderly participants included in this study was 502. The mean age was 70.34 5.85. The range of age of participants was 65 to 95 years. Males and females were similarly distributed.

Table 1 shows the distribution of sociodemographic and health-related characteristics according to self-awareness of a previous COVID-19 infection. Among the total participants, 47.6% were aware of having previously acquired COVID-19. Statistically significant differences were observed with age, sex and level of education where a higher proportion of self-awareness of a previous COVID-19 infection was reported among those aged above 70 years (51.6%), females (53.1%) and high-school graduates (54.3%). Furthermore, elderly participants who were familiar with other people who had been previously infected with the virus or had died from infection with the virus reported significantly higher proportions of self-awareness of personal previous infection (53.0% and 61.9% respectively). Among those who were aware of being infected, the majority had undergone a test confirmation (84.1%) compared to 15.9% who did not.

Table 1 Sociodemographic and Health Related Characteristics of the Elderly Participants in Relation to Their History of a COVID-19 Infection

Figure 1 shows that more than half the participants (54.6%) would get tested for COVID-19 if they knew they had been in contact with a person(s) positive even if no symptoms are present. The highest reported reason for this response was the belief that testing may help to control the spread of the disease and protect others (70.8%). Other reasons included awareness of own responsibility as a citizen (62.8%), the willingness to receive appropriate care in case of a positive result (61.3%) and to oblige to the expectation of family and friends in taking the test (12.8%). The least reported reason for testing was fear of penalties in only 3.3% of the total participants.

Figure 1 Distribution of elderly participants opinions on undertaking a COVID-19 test.

Among the 24.1% participants not willing to undertake the test despite knowing that they had been in contact with other individuals who had been positive for COVID-19, the most reported reasons were feeling that the test was unnecessary if no symptoms are present (24.1%), believing there is nothing to do even if the result is positive (26.4%) and that the test is time consuming (24.8%) (Table 2).

Table 2 Acceptance and Hesitancy of Elderly Participants to Take a COVID-19 Test

Regarding the participants attitude towards the COVID-19 vaccine, the mean attitude score was 31.93 5.51 (Median 32, range = 1854). Participants who had a negative attitude for the vaccine represented 58.6% of the total samples, whereas 41.4% had a positive attitude towards the vaccine.

Figure 2 shows that only 3.18% of the total participants did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, whereas 1.39% had received one dose, 14.3% had received two doses, 75.7% had received the completed three doses and 5.4% had the recommended fourth vaccine.

Figure 2 Distribution of elderly participants in relation to COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Table 3 presents the associations between sociodemographic and health-related characteristics of participants and vaccine uptake. Statistically significant associations were observed for age, sex and educational status only where higher proportions of complete doses of the vaccines were observed for participants aged less than 70 (97.5%), and similarly for males (97.2%) and for high-school graduates (97.3%). No statistically significant differences were observed with other characteristics.

Table 3 Sociodemographic and Health Related Characteristics of Elderly Participants in Relation to Vaccine Uptake

Table 4 presents each question regarding the attitude towards the vaccine on a five-point Likerts scale. The highest proportion of participants strongly agreed that the vaccine can help control the spread of infection (43.0%), and around one-third strongly disagreed with the statement that had they known they were going to be infected, they would not get the vaccine even if it were available (33.7%). Also, 36.6% strongly disagreed with the statement that if everyone else is vaccinated against COVID-19, they would have to be vaccinated themselves. The results also show that the highest proportion of participants strongly agreed that their decision to take the vaccine depends mainly upon recommendations from the MoH (43.8%), that the high vaccination uptake would lift the restrictions on movement (41.0%), and to allow clearance of immune status on the Tawakkalna application (37.7%).

Table 4 Attitudes of Elderly Participants Regarding the Uptake of the COVID-19 Vaccine

During the COVID-19 pandemic era, implementing preventive measures including testing and vaccination to control the spread of the highly contagious virus requires the populations willingness to adopt this behaviour.15 This study was able to assess the willingness and hesitancy of the elderly population in the KSA towards COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. Although few studies have had similar objectives, none have targeted this vulnerable age group. Several important findings have emerged from the current analyses which give rise to policy recommendations during the next phase of planning towards the prevention of infection in this age group.

Over half the participants were not aware of a previous COVID-19 infection, this finding is consistent with other research demonstrating that a significant proportion of COVID-19 infections are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic and thus may go unnoticed.16 These asymptomatic infections can still result in long-term health effects and contribute to the spread of the virus, and their share could be as high as 20% and possibly more among older adults.17,18

Furthermore, we found a statistically significant correlation between self-awareness of a previous COVID-19 infection and various sociodemographic characteristics. For instance, participants aged below 70 years reported a higher percentage of self-awareness compared to those aged 70 and older. Similarly, one hundred and thirty-six women reported being aware of their COVID-19 infection than men. Interestingly, the level of education also appeared to be a factor, with high-school graduates showing a higher percentage of self-awareness. This aligns with previous research suggesting that age, sex, and educational level can influence the perception and awareness of health-related issues, including infectious diseases.19,20 The findings emphasize the importance of targeted public health strategies to increase awareness and understanding of COVID-19 across all demographic groups, particularly those who may be less likely to recognize or report infection.21

Personal experiences and connections can significantly shape an individuals perception and awareness of a disease. In our study, we observed associations between the self-awareness of a previous COVID-19 infection and having prior knowledge of someone who had suffered from the disease or knowing someone who had died from it. This finding aligns with existing literature where for example, a study found that direct or indirect exposure to a disease could enhance the perceived severity and susceptibility, thereby influencing individuals health behaviours and responses.22,23 With respect to the older population, this finding is particularly relevant. Older adults are at a higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19; thus, their awareness and understanding of the disease could have significant implications for their health outcomes.24 Additionally, these findings echo the social network theory in health contexts, which posits that individuals health behaviours and attitudes are influenced by their social connections.25 In this case, the social connection manifests as knowing someone infected or has died from COVID-19, which increases the individuals self-awareness of their infection. This concept may explain that, among those aware of being infected, the majority had undergone a COVID-19 test confirmation (84.1%). These findings underscore the importance of social factors in disease awareness and highlights the need for targeted public health interventions that consider these factors.

Our studys findings shed light on the attitudes of elderlies towards COVID-19 testing. Notably, none of the participants expressed fear of fines or penalties for violating any official COVID-19 related restrictions should they choose not to get tested. This may suggest a high level of compliance with public health measures among this group, consistent with prior research indicating that older adults are generally more likely to adhere to public health guidelines.26 Interestingly, a significant proportion of our sample perceived COVID-19 testing as unnecessary in the absence of symptoms. This belief is contrary to the widespread consensus in the medical community, which emphasizes that asymptomatic individuals can still transmit the virus.27 Lastly, the fear of being stigmatized or blamed by others if they tested positive also emerged as a contributing factor for test hesitancy. This finding aligns with previous studies that have highlighted stigma as a barrier to disease testing and disclosure in several contexts, including HIV and COVID-19.28,29 These insights underscore the need for targeted communication strategies to address misinformation and stigma associated with COVID-19 testing, particularly among older adults.

With regard to vaccinations, age sex and educational level were significantly related to vaccine uptake. We found that full vaccine uptake was less among those aged above 70 years old compared to those aged between 65 and 70. The literature in this matter differs between geographical areas. For example, similar results to ours were present in China, however in Australia older adults tended to vaccinate in comparison to their younger counterparts.30,31 It is likely that cultural and social factors have played a role in these differences. Furthermore, we found that vaccinations were less among females in comparison to males. In a systematic review of over sixty studies to identify gender differences in the intention to vaccinate, they found that males had a higher intention to vaccinate against COVID-19.32 Since females play a central role in ensuring the health of their families and children, this difference between sexes should be an additional point of focus in future health campaigns. As for educational level, our results are consistent with those elsewhere in which we found that a lower educational level of was associated with a lower uptake of vaccinations.33 In fact, 10 of the 16 elderlies in our study had a lower education level.

Reluctance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine either due to conspiracy beliefs or a lack of awareness are major obstacles facing health authorities. Confidence in vaccines is considered by the World Health Organisation as one of the significant factors that affect peoples opinion towards taking the vaccine.34 Similar to our results, studies exploring the attitudes and beliefs of the elderlies towards COVID-19 have found that beliefs in vaccine efficacy were the main factor driving peoples intention towards receiving those vaccines.35 Our findings, in line with international studies, reflect a good level of confidence among Saudi participants in vaccine efficacy. Consequently, more than half of the study participants disagreed and strongly disagreed with the fact that their intention to take the vaccine will be reduced by knowing their previous infection status or the number of people receiving the vaccine. In contrast, a study conducted among Saudi young adults found that most of the participants were willing to take the vaccine only if it was taken by many people or if it was made mandatory.36 However that study only targeted young adults who were not considered at a high risk of COVID-19 complications compared to the elderly which might make them feel less motivated to take the vaccine. Moreover, it was published during the early pandemic when the vaccine was just released to the public, which could justify the reluctance towards taking the novel vaccine. Furthermore, the high willingness in this study could also be explained by the availability of free vaccines to all Saudi residents provided by the government, which eliminates the cost barrier.

Additionally, almost two-thirds of the study participants agreed and strongly agreed that their decision to take the vaccine depends mainly on recommendations from their family physician and the MoH. Similarly, 66.2% of the elderly population in the US stated that their decision to take the vaccine is based on health care providers recommendations.37 This indicates confidence and trust in healthcare providers and public health campaigns.

Most of our respondents did not consider the country of vaccine production or whether the vaccine has been used in other countries as factors that would impact their decision towards vaccine uptake. In contrast to previous studies in the US and Jordan which found that people trust the safety of vaccines produced in the US and Europe.2,37 Given the fact that the MoH launched the vaccination campaign through means accessible to all citizens, such as the use of the Sehhaty mobile application which facilitates registration to all vaccination centres around the country, is reassuring for the public. Thus, it was reported in a previous study that confidence in the decisions of the government was the strongest factor influencing participants positively toward vaccination.

Furthermore, most participants agreed and strongly agreed to the fact that the convenience of utilising public services and lifting gathering restrictions are positively influencing factors towards vaccine uptake. It is well known that the pandemic and the applied precautionary measures have negatively affected peoples lives, and their careers, and consequently impacted their physical health and mental well-being.38 Therefore, it is not surprising that the perceived benefits of vaccination, including less anxiety, less likelihood of getting infected with COVID-19, and easing of the preventative efforts were encouraging factors.

Although this study is the first to analytically explore the willingness and hesitancy of the elderly population in the KSA, there are a few limitations that may limit generalisations. The sampling technique employed was a non-probability sampling technique which inherently limits generalisation efforts to the general elderly population. However, this technique was chosen due to the nature of our target population. The elderly is a sensitive group of people who would not normally tolerate questioning, especially with regard to their own attitudes and opinions. Also, the tool consists of questions on attitudes and opinions, which are entirely subjective.

This study explored the willingness and hesitancy of the elderly in the KSA towards COVID-19 testing and vaccination and has been able to add to the epidemiological literature on this matter. We found that over half the participants were not aware of a previous COVID-19 infection, and that this self-awareness of a previous infection was related to age, sex, level of education, and being familiar with someone who had been previously infected with COVID-19 and someone who had died due to this infection. Additionally, we were able to conclude that there is a high degree of compliance with regulations on COVID-19 testing. Also, willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 were significantly associated with age, sex and level of education.

COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; KSA, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; MoH, Ministry of Health; SPSS, Statistical Package for Social Sciences.

The dataset used during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

The study was approved by the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal Universitys institution review board (IRB-2023-01-302). All respondents were informed about the purpose of the study, and all participants consented voluntarily. Informed consent was obtained from all study participants.

All authors have made a significant contribution to the work reported here, whether it be in the conceptualisation, design of the study, acquisition of the data, analyses and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

1. World Health Organization. WHO COVID-19 Dashboard. World Health Organization; 2023.

2. Elhadi M, Alsoufi A, Alhadi A, et al. Knowledge, attitude, and acceptance of healthcare workers and the public regarding the COVID-19 vaccine: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):955. doi:10.1186/s12889-021-10987-3

3. World Health Organization. EG.5 Initial Risk Evaluation, 9 August 2023. World Health Organization; 2023.

4. Algaissi AA, Alharbi NK, Hassanain M, Hashem AM. Preparedness and response to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: building on MERS experience. J Infect Public Health. 2020;13(6):834838. doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2020.04.016

5. Alhassan FM, AlDossary SA. The Saudi ministry of healths twitter communication strategies and public engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic: Content Analysis Study. Original Paper. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2021;7(7):e27942. doi:10.2196/27942

6. SDAIA. About tawakkalna. Saudi data and artificial intelligence authority; 2023. Available from: https://ta.sdaia.gov.sa/en/index. Accessed September 3, 2023..

7. Collaborative O, Williamson E, Walker AJ, et al. OpenSAFELY: factors associated with COVID-19-related hospital death in the linked electronic health records of 17 million adult NHS patients. MedRxiv. 2020;2020:1.

8. Amber ML, Maeva MS, David SA. Why does COVID-19 disproportionately affect older people? Aging. 2020;12(10):9959.

9. Assiri A, Al-Tawfiq JA, Alkhalifa M, et al. Launching COVID-19 vaccination in Saudi Arabia: lessons learned, and the way forward. Travel Med Infectious Dis. 2021;43:102119. doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2021.102119

10. Al-Hanawi MK, Alshareef N, El-Sokkary RH. Willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination among older adults in Saudi Arabia: a community-based survey. Vaccines. 2021;9(11):1257. doi:10.3390/vaccines9111257

11. Alkhaldi G, Aljuraiban GS, Alhurishi S, et al. Perceptions towards COVID-19 and adoption of preventive measures among the public in Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):1251. doi:10.1186/s12889-021-11223-8

12. World Health Organization. Report of the SAGE working group on vaccine hesitancy; 2014. Available from: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/immunization/sage/2014/october/sage-working-group-revised-report-vaccine-hesitancy.pdf?sfvrsn=240a7c1c_4. Accessed September 4, 2023.

13. El-Elimat T, AbuAlSamen MM, Almomani BA, Al-Sawalha NA, Alali FQ, Di Gennaro F. Acceptance and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines: a cross-sectional study from Jordan. PLoS One. 2021;16(4):e0250555. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0250555

14. IBM Corp. Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. IBM Corp; 2019.

15. Sanche S, Lin YT, Xu C, Romero-Severson E, Hengartner N, Ke R. High contagiousness and rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020;26(7):1470. doi:10.3201/eid2607.200282

16. Zhang X, Lin D, Pforsich H, Lin VW. Physician workforce in the United States of America: forecasting nationwide shortages. Hum Resour Health. 2020;18(1):19. doi:10.1186/s12960-020-0448-3

17. Buitrago-Garcia D, Egli-Gany D, Counotte MJ, et al. Occurrence and transmission potential of asymptomatic and presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections: a living systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS Medicine. 2020;17(9):e1003346. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003346

18. Rivett L, Sridhar S, Sparkes D, et al. Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission. eLife. 2020;9:e58728. doi:10.7554/eLife.58728

19. Al-Matary A, Almatari F, Al-Matary M, et al. Clinical outcomes of maternal and neonate with COVID-19 infection - multicenter study in Saudi Arabia. J Infect Public Health. 2021;14(6):702708. doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2021.03.013

20. So WK, Chan SS, Lee AC, Tiwari AF. The knowledge level and precautionary measures taken by older adults during the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong. Int J Nurs Stud. 2004;41(8):901909. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2004.04.004

21. Al-Hanawi MK, Angawi K, Alshareef N, et al. Knowledge, attitude and practice toward COVID-19 among the public in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: a Cross-Sectional Study. Front Public Health. 2020;8:217. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00217

22. Rubin GJ, Smith LE, Melendez-Torres G, Yardley L. Improving adherence to test, trace and isolate. J R Soc Med. 2020;113(9):335338. doi:10.1177/0141076820956824

23. Brewer NT, Chapman GB, Rothman AJ, Leask J, Kempe A. Increasing vaccination: putting psychological science into action. Psychol Sci. 2017;18(3):149207. doi:10.1177/1529100618760521

24. Lloyd-Sherlock P, Ebrahim S, Geffen L, McKee M. Bearing the brunt of covid-19: older people in low and middle income countries. BMJ. 2020;368:m1052. doi:10.1136/bmj.m1052

25. Centola D. An experimental study of homophily in the adoption of health behavior. Science. 2011;334(6060):126912725. doi:10.1126/science.1207055

26. Seale H, Heywood AE, Leask J, et al. COVID-19 is rapidly changing: examining public perceptions and behaviors in response to this evolving pandemic. PLoS One. 2020;15(6):e0235112. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0235112

27. Oran DP, Topol EJ. The proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections that are asymptomatic: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2021;174(5):655662. doi:10.7326/m20-6976

28. Logie CH, Turan JM. How do we balance tensions between COVID-19 public health responses and stigma mitigation? Learning from HIV research. AIDS Behav. 2020;24(7):20032006. doi:10.1007/s10461-020-02856-8

29. Earnshaw VA, Eaton LA, Kalichman SC, Brousseau NM, Hill EC, Fox AB. COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, health behaviors, and policy support. Transl Behav Med. 2020;10(4):850856. doi:10.1093/tbm/ibaa090

30. You Y, Li X, Chen B, Zou X, Liu G, Han X. Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards influenza vaccination among older adults in Southern China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines. 2023;11(7):1197. doi:10.3390/vaccines11071197

31. Bullivant B, Bolsewicz KT, King C, Steffens MS. COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among older adults: a qualitative study in New South Wales, Australia. Public Health Pract. 2023;5:100349. doi:10.1016/j.puhip.2022.100349

32. Zintel S, Flock C, Arbogast AL, Forster A, von Wagner C, Sieverding M. Gender differences in the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Zeitschrift fr Gesundheitswissenschaften. 2022;125. doi:10.1007/s10389-021-01677-w

33. Guay M, Maquiling A, Chen R, et al. Measuring inequalities in COVID-19 vaccination uptake and intent: results from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2021. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1):1708. doi:10.1186/s12889-022-14090-z

34. Babatope T, Ilyenkova V, Marais D. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: a systematic review of barriers to the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine among adults in Nigeria. Bull Natl Res Cent. 2023;47(1):45. doi:10.1186/s42269-023-01017-w

35. Malesza M, Wittmann E. Acceptance and intake of COVID-19 vaccines among older Germans. J Clin Med. 2021;10(7):1388. doi:10.3390/jcm10071388

36. Almaghaslah D, Alsayari A, Kandasamy G, Vasudevan R. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among young adults in Saudi Arabia: a Cross-Sectional Web-Based Study. Vaccines. 2021;9(4):330. doi:10.3390/vaccines9040330

37. Malik AA, McFadden SM, Elharake J, Omer SB. Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in the US. EClinicalMedicine. 2020;26:100495. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100495

38. Alkhamees AA, Alrashed SA, Alzunaydi AA, Almohimeed AS, Aljohani MS. The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the general population of Saudi Arabia. Compr Psychiatry. 2020;102:152192. doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152192

Continued here:

A Cross-Sectional Analysis into the Willingness and Hesitancy to ... - Dove Medical Press

Ottawa Public Health will lay off most of its COVID-19 staff by the end of the year and wrap up its immunization programming at the end of March, as the Ontario government stops reimbursing for extraordinary costs related to the pandemic.

As the board of health prepares to finalize its $87.5 million budget for 2024 tonight, the health unit says the budget will include a winding down of its COVID-19 operations in the new year. The 2024 budget includes $6.8 million in funding to wrap up the health unit's COVID-19 response and immunization program in the first quarter of 2024.

A report for the board of health, presented by medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches, notes the provincial government has announced that as of Jan. 1, 2024, it will no longer reimburse for costs relating to COVID-19 programs and services.

Etches writes Ottawa Public Health has already decreased staffing levels supported by provincial COVID-19 funding from 4,400 employees in January 2022 to 1,100 staff this fall, and more than two thirds of the remaining staff will leave the health unit by Dec. 31.

"It is quite something to remember that from a team of about 500 full-time employees in March 2020, Ottawa Public Health rapidly increased our workforce sevenfold to more than 4,400 full-time equivalent employees at the peak of our pandemic response," Etches said at Monday's Board of Health meeting.

The report says only 105 full-time employee positions will be available as of January 2024 to support the final wrap-up of COVID-19 operation. Etches said OPH plans to be down to 500 full-time employees again by the spring.

"The largest number of that expanded workforce were focused on immunization and we've seen the demand for COVID-19 vaccination has come down, and so we're able to meet that demand in the community now," she said.

Ottawa Public Health reported last week that COVID-19 wastewater surveillance showed "very high levels" of COVID-19 in the community, along with high levels of RSV and influenza. The COVID-19 per cent positivity rate was 21.4 per cent.

With COVID-19 still circulating in the community, the health unit will continue offering COVID-19 vaccinations into the new year.

"However, given the continued threat to populations facing greater barriers to immunization (e.g., people living in long-term care facilities, new immigrants and refugees), OPH will continue offering COVID-19 immunization until the end of March 2024," the report says.

Ottawa Public Health received $65.9 million in one-time COVID-19 funding from the provincial government in 2022 and the 2023 budget set aside $51 million in funding, according to the OPH draft budget.

The 2024 draft budget includes submitting one-time funding requests to the Ministry of Health to support post-pandemic services provided through neighbourhood health and wellness hubs, including immunization programs.

Etches says Ottawa Public Health undertook a review of all administrative and operation elements of its programs, and the 2024 budget focuses on "returning to the full scope of public health programs and services."

"The scope and scale of public health services will be guided by OPHs multi-year strategic objectives, which include: bringing public health services and interventions closer to communities facing the greatest barriers; promoting mental health and substance use health while reducing stigma; influencing changes in the built, natural and social environments that promote health and wellbeing and address the impacts of climate change; collaborating with healthcare partners to strengthen clinical prevention; and fostering a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and healthy workforce grounded in a culture of learning and growth," Etches writes.

Ottawa Public Health will have 511 permanent FTE positions in 2024 to support provincially mandated programs and services.

Continued here:

Ottawa Public Health wrapping up COVID-19 operations, cutting ... - CTV News Ottawa