Echoing the provincial call to mask up in indoor settings – and the further precautions urged this week by Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit Medical Officer of Health Dr. Natalie Bocking – members of the Ontario Health Team are even going a step beyond to issue a call to action to preserve as many remaining health-care resources as possible for those who need them most.
These pleas come as the result of the pressure put on health-care resources (particularly primary-care offices and hospitals) as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza cases continue to rise, at a time when COVID-19 continues to mutate into ever-more-transmissible variants.
Factor in the colder weather that is keeping everyone indoors more, and both rates of these illnesses and demand on an already-stretched health-care system will inevitably rise.
The OHT-N partners hope the call to action will help manage what is shaping up to be a challenging few months ahead.
There are three simple goals.
Help raise awareness of the rising rates of respiratory illness in this community. At her recent scrum, Dr. Bocking noted that, in the two weeks ending Nov. 12 – still fairly early into the flu season – HKPR residents made 990 visits to emergency rooms with respiratory symptoms or influenza-like illness (242 of them in Northumberland County, which is almost twice the number of weekly visits recorded at the beginning of October).
Remind everyone of the steps we can take as individuals to minimize the risk of getting sick (and inadvertently spreading viruses to others).
Promote additional resources available if we are sick or caring for someone who is sick, beyond already-strained primary-care offices and hospitals.
The press release refers everyone to the HKPR Respiratory Diseases Dashboard on their website, which is updated each Tuesday, and offered a reminder of simple steps that can be taken now to minimize the chances of serious illness and community spread of respiratory illness.
Make sure your COVID vaccinations (and those of your family members) are up to date, meaning the primary series is completed and those aged five and older have had a vaccine within six months of the last dose or the last infection. Many pharmacies and primary-care offices (including the Northumberland Family Health Team – see www.nfht.ca) are offering COVID vaccinations. As well, you can book vaccinations locally at www.hkpr.on.ca/covid-19/vaccine-clinics/ or call 1-833-943-3900.
Wear a mask when indoors in crowded public spaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained. Masking is not mandatory just now in most areas of the county beyond high-risk health settings (like hospital and long-term-care facilities), but it is a small gesture that is known to have a big impact in stopping the spread of germs. Surgical masks should be properly work, covering the nose and mouth.
Screen for respiratory symptoms daily, and stay home if you are ill. What feels like a minor cold to you could be serious if transmitted to someone else.
Wash your hands often, especially when out in public. Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth unless you have just washed your hands.
If you catch a respiratory illness, or if you are a care provider for someone who is sick, the press release has some recommendations.
For mild symptoms – Most of us with respiratory symptoms will recover on our own and not require prescription medications. Self-isolate and rest, drink plenty of fluids and take over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever and aches as per manufacturer's instructions.
For a child with a fever – The Canadian Pharmacists Association has issued a fact sheet on children's fever and pain mediation that is available on-line, as is the Ontario College of Family Physicians' fact sheet on caring for children. Some symptoms warrant calling your family doctor – a fever lasting 72 hours or longer, unusual irritability, an earache lasting longer than 48 hours, loss of interest in eating and drinking. Call 911 or head for the emergency department if you are worried that your child is seriously ill or at risk of becoming dehydrated, if your child is younger than three months of age and has a fever, or if your child is struggling to breathe (or is breathing faster than normal).
“The best gift we can all give to one another and all health-care providers this holiday season is to ensure we take action, where it is in our control, to minimize the risk of contracting a respiratory illness,” the announcement said.
“Prevention and response is a shared responsibility. For the sake of the most vulnerable among us – the very young, older individuals, and those whose health is already challenged by chronic health conditions, precarious housing situations or both – we must each continue to do everything in our power to protect our whole community by preserving health-care resources for those who need them most.”
