Happy New Year!
Last week, I mentioned that the vaccination rollout had begun in Ontario. Yesterday in Windsor, some Christian Horizons employees began to receive the first of two Pfizer shots. In total, around 50 people will get the initial dose by the end of this week. Of course, this is just the beginning. We’re excited for the staff who received it, and we’re excited for the requests for information we’re receiving from Public Health Units across Ontario to help us be ready to receive more vaccinations. Eugene Versteeg, Senior Vice President, along with Gregory Crunican our Health Care Strategies Manager have cultivated a number of great resources for your information and created a new tab within the CHconnect COVID-19 resources website. Please check them out for information on this important vaccination.
In Saskatchewan, we continue to advocate with provincial partners for vaccine prioritization for those who use our services and employees in the Developmental Services Sector.
The vaccination rollout is welcome because COVID-19 cases continue to increase in Canada. Within Christian Horizons, as of yesterday, Christian Horizons has three (3) people who use our services and fifteen (15) employees who are currently positive for COVID-19 in six (6) Ontario communities and two (2) Saskatchewan communities.
Christian Horizons Statistics
(Running totals since March 19, 2020)
Note: We’ve combined the presumptive and surveillance/precaution data into one summary effective this week.
Provincial and National Statistics
(Beyond Christian Horizons)
Christian Horizons Global
Thank you for helping many people who are considered most vulnerable to not be left behind these past months, even as the whole world was made more vulnerable. The COVID-19 pandemic changed much of our international plans for 2020 and, as a result, our efforts went to meeting the emerging need of hunger, which our international partners saw firsthand and asked for help.
Thanks to donors like you, we were able to respond to the changing needs and the emerging hunger crisis caused by the pandemic with the creation of the Global Nutrition Fund. Through your generosity, we helped to stabilize communities in need by providing nutrition support of $81,000 to our partners abroad. That means more than 1,000 families had a three-month supply of food. Our global partners have expressed their immense gratitude to you − “Thank you! This funding was literally lifesaving support. It was the difference between life and death for those in need. You were the miracle for which we prayed!”
In Ontario, we’ve gotten through the recent outbreaks and maintained the necessary staff support at the outbreak locations. Thanks to everyone who worked over the holidays in both Ontario and Saskatchewan, and to those of you who worked more than your original plan.
Please visit our resources page, which is updated regularly, at https://covid19.chconnect.org/. I remain available at dmilley@christian-horizons.org.
As we say goodbye to 2020, I wish you all good things in 2021!
Dwayne Milley
Vice President of Operations