Item - 2021.HL30.1

During the review of the Order Paper on October 1, 2021, City Council adopted a procedural motion to remove this Item from the Board of Health and bring it forward to City Council for consideration.

City Council considered Items EX26.16 and HL30.1 together.

The Board of Health recommends that:

1.  City Council request the Medical Officer of Health to monitor the implementation of the Province of Ontario's vaccine certificate program and to report back to the Board of Health in the first quarter of 2022 with an update on the program's impact in Toronto.

The Board of Health:

1.  Requested the Province of Ontario to require COVID-19 vaccination for students who are eligible based on their age/year of birth.

2.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health to monitor the implementation of the Province of Ontario's vaccine certificate program and to report back to the Board of Health in the first quarter of 2022 with an update on the program's impact in Toronto.

3.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services, to review the response to COVID-19 by Toronto Public Health, the City of Toronto, community agencies and health care partners and to report to the Board of Health in the first quarter of 2022, including the following:

a.  identify successful strategies and programs arising from TO Supports: COVID-19 Equity Action Plan, the City of Toronto's Immunization Community Engagement and Mobilization Plan and other efforts to target equity-deserving populations, including people who are Indigenous, Black, South Asian and experiencing homelessness;

b.  consider the role of Toronto Public Health and the City of Toronto in delivering on the following three components of primary health care as defined by the World Health Organization: meeting people's health needs throughout their lives; addressing the broader determinants of health through multi-sectoral policies and actions; and empowering individuals, families and communities to take charge of their own health; and

c.  make recommendations to transition successful emergency COVID-19 responses into permanent, long-term embedded supports for equity-deserving populations and "hot spot" neighbourhoods, including the alignment of public health, health care and social services, wherever appropriate.

The Medical Officer of Health gave a presentation on Response to COVID-19: September 2021 Update.

The City of Toronto (the City) is currently in the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of this report, we are observing an average of 153 daily COVID-19 cases over a 7-day period. As of September 9, 2021, 77.9 percent of individuals over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated in Toronto. While the ongoing uptake of vaccination by Toronto residents is positive, analysis and modelling of the fourth wave demonstrates that ongoing vigilance is required to both promote increased vaccination and monitor progress towards reducing COVID-19 transmission.

This report provides an update on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as of September 2021, and responds to Board of Health direction from March 2021 for the Medical Officer of Health to report on COVID-19 workplace vaccination policies. This report also responds to direction from the Board of Health in June 2021 to provide an update on Toronto Public Health (TPH) efforts to support the safe return to school. Finally, this report makes a recommendation for the Medical Officer of Health to monitor ongoing vaccine policy developments at the provincial level and request the Province of Ontario (the Province) to require school-age children who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine to be vaccinated.