COVID-19 and launch of vaccines put budgetary pressure on OPH in Q1
Ottawa Public Health says the post-Christmas spike in COVID-19 cases and the launch of the city's vaccination efforts pushed costs up in the first quarter of 2021.
According to a report and budget documents prepared for the city's board of health, OPH spent $23 million in base and one-time COVID-19 costs in the first quarter of 2021, exceeding the quarterly budget for those items by about $5.4 million.
The report says OPH is "projecting an over expenditure for the current fiscal year as a result of extraordinary costs related to COVID response and vaccine program," but ultimately believes the budget will be balanced by year's end, "with the assumption that the Province will provide full funding for these costs."
In the first three months of 2021, city staff say OPH spent more than $24.4 million on compensation, about 31 per cent of its annual budget of $79.3 million, and exceeded overtime spending by $400,000.
"The increased compensation costs are directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic response and the need to scale up the operations in support of the COVID-19 Vaccine Program by increasing overtime requirements, onboarding new casual staff in various capacities and not meeting vacancy allowance targets incorporated in the approved budget," the report says.
Case management efforts were strained in early 2021 due to a rapid rise in cases in January. More than 7,300 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2021, each of which required contact tracing and case management.
The report says the Ontario government has provided all health units with an assurance that there will be a process to request reimbursement of extraordinary costs related to the pandemic; however, to date, no further information has been made available.
The board of health meets at 5 p.m. June 21.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.