News

Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance (ACES) Pandemic Tracker Launches

Kingston, ON – KFL&A Public Health launches new Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance (ACES) Pandemic Tracker to monitor daily admissions to hospitals in Ontario for key syndromes related to COVID-19.

ACES is a real-time syndromic surveillance system that uses natural language processing to group free text reasons for admission into different syndromes. These syndromes are not clinical diagnoses. The ACES Pandemic Tracker looks at admissions to hospitals for syndromes related to COVID-19, for example,...

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A Community Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

In these unprecedented times government, the health care system, businesses and community agencies, and individuals in KFL&A are pulling together to find creative and effective solutions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 26, acting decisively as a community, all 11 municipalities in KFL&A formally declared a local state of emergency. This decision aligns with steps the Province of Ontario has taken and shows how united area municipalities are in supporting our community and providing...

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KFL&A Public Health – Cloyne and Sharbot Lake Office Closures

KINGSTON— As of Monday, March 30, 2020 the KFL&A Public Health offices in Sharbot Lake and Cloyne will be open to the public for radon test and water sample drop off one day per week. These offices are closing temporary, with the exception of this one day, to allow for staff from these offices to assist with COVID-19 operations in the main office in Kingston.

Hours of Operation

• Sharbot Lake Office (130 Elizabeth Street, Sharbot Lake) will be open on Tuesdays.
• Cloyne Office (14209 Highway 41,...

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Notice of Board of Health Meeting

Kingston—The Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington Board of Health’s March meeting will be hosted by teleconference.Date:                              Wednesday, March 25, 2020Time:                             1:00 p.m. A copy of the Board agenda is attached.  Copies of the complete Board agenda, including all information items, are available upon request.

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Self-Isolation Means You Stay At Home

Kingston, ON – All individuals who are returning from any travel outside of Canada and any individuals with COVID-19 symptoms are to self-isolate for 14 days. Self-isolation means you stay at home and avoid contact with other people.

Staying home means you:

• do not go to public places such as work, grocery stores, shopping centres, or pharmacies.
• ask someone to get food and other necessities for you and leave them at your front door.
• do not let visitors in — only people who usually live with you...

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Three Confirmed Positive COVID-19 Cases in KFLA Area

Kingston, ON – Today, Dr. Kieran Moore, Medical Officer of Health at KFL&A Public Health confirmed that there are three positive cases of COVID-19 in the KFL&A area.

Two females, 44 and 62 years of age, and one male 48 years of age, all with recent travel history to Spain, Barbados, and the United Kingdom have tested positive for COVID-19. Two of the individuals were seen and assessed at the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Hotel Dieu Hospital, while the third affected individual was assessed at a...

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Returning Travellers Advised to Self-Isolate for 14 Days

Effective immediately, KFL&A Public Health is implementing new recommendations to reduce the spread of COVID-19 locally. Dr. Kieran Moore, Medical Officer of Health is advising all individuals who are returning from any travel outside of Canada to self-isolate for 14 days and to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19. This recommendation is retroactive for any individuals that have returned from travel outside of Canada (e.g., if you returned 7 days ago, you would self-isolate for the next 7 days)....

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Increased opioid overdoses in Kingston

KFL&A Public Health is warning residents of an increase in opioid overdoses that occurred this past week. Increases in both emergency department visits and 9-1-1 calls for opioid overdoses have been observed locally in the Kingston area as well as provincially through monitoring systems. 

Other communities in Ontario have reported the presence of an illegal benzodiazepine, flualprazolam, in circulation that has been found in combination with drugs such as fentanyl.  The negative effects of using...

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As COVID-19 Spreads, Be Prepared, KFL&A Public Health Advises

Kingston, ON – As cases of COVID-19 continue to spread internationally, local health officials are preparing for the possibility that the virus could spread further.  Measures put in place to date have been effective in detecting and managing sporadic cases of COVID-19 in Canada and Ontario. There are currently no cases in the KFL&A area, but this could change very rapidly.

“Local KFL&A residents are encouraged to take steps to ensure they are prepared to self-isolate for two weeks (14 days) in...

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Cold weather health warning issued for KFL&A area

According to Environment Canada, wind chills are expected to drop below –30°C to -35°C tonight and into Friday morning. This advisory is in effect for the KFL&A Region. 

Cold Weather Health Warnings are issued through the media by KFL&A Public Health when the temperature is forecast to be -25°C or colder, when a wind chill of -28°C or colder is forecast, or when extreme weather conditions—blizzard or severe snow storm—are forecast for the KFL&A area by Environment Canada.  When the temperature...

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