Northwestern Health Unit release 2021 annual report

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO – After a hectic year of mitigating the spread of COVID-19, the Northwestern Health Unit annual report highlights all the organization’s accomplishments.  

NWHU’s pandemic response includes many components, such as case and contact management, infection prevention and control, outbreak management, supporting schools, businesses and workplaces, communications, COVID-19 hotline, and outreach to vulnerable populations.

Marilyn Herbacz, CEO at NWHU acknowledges staff, volunteers, and partners for the tireless effort during a year unlike any other.

“When reflecting on 2021, I am overcome with emotion and pride. It was another challenging year full of unknowns and overwhelming workloads, however, it was also a year of hope, teamwork, and resilience,” Herbacz said.

The year included many new challenges for NWHU, including high COVID-19 case numbers, widespread restrictions, and the vaccine roll-out consisting of long hours for nurses and volunteers.

However, as difficult as 2021 was for public health, there are many positive takeaways from the year.

“Our experiences in 2021 proved that when we all work together, we can make the impossible possible. Collectively, we saved lives, and made our communities safer places to live,” Dr. Young Hoon, Medical Officer of Health at NWHU said.

As vaccinations are starting to slow down across the region, some pandemic-related statistics highlighted in the 2021 annual report include:

• NWHU staff followed up with 1,770 positive PCR test results and an additional 3,662 contacts. By contacting these individuals rapidly, NWHU was able to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the region.
• Over 164,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were given in the region.
• In December 2021, the NWHU region had the highest first dose coverage rate in Ontario, and the third-highest second dose rate when compared to other health units.
• NWHU answered more than 25,000 questions from the public through their COVID-19 hotline, web chat feature, email, and social media channels.
• The NWHU website saw over 2.3 million page views, averaging 6,404 views per day.