An update on contact tracing and testing efforts today from the Province.
Premier Doug Ford says $1.37 billion is being spent on those efforts as part of the fall preparedness plan.
In the past two weeks over 100 pharmacies started offering testing with 50 more beginning this week, including in Barrie.
There are other successes too.
“Twenty-five local public health units are reaching 100 per cent of cases within 24 hours, 30 are reaching 90 per cent of cases or higher within 24 hours and in two short weeks, we are well on our way to building up our surge capacity with reinforcements,” said the Premier.
Ford says 2,750 contact tracers and over 600 Stats Can employees are currently in the field.
Ontario will also hire another 500 contact tracers and case managers by mid-November.
Ford says almost 4,000 individuals will have boots on the ground soon with part of their focus being on hotspots in Ontario.
The Province is also urging people to get their flu shot.
Getting your #flushot is critical this year. That’s why we invested nearly $70M to launch the largest flu immunization campaign in our history.
You can get a flu shot at your family doctor, nurse practitioner offices, public health units and participating pharmacies. pic.twitter.com/ijhlpx4FnH
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 14, 2020
To watch the Province’s full October 14th address, see below.
https://www.cpac.ca/en/direct/cpac2/509561/ontario-premier-doug-ford-provides-covid-19-update-27/