By Cecilia Nasmith
A week after Ontario was declared to have entered a seventh COVID-19 wave (or, as it might be termed, the third Omicron wave), Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit Medical Officer of Health Dr. Natalie Bocking gave a monthly update on the latest local pandemic developments on Wednesday.
The newest dominant strain is BA5 which, like BA 4, is thought to have emerged from South Africa. As happened in previous waves, newer variants are more infectious, and eventually push out previous variants and subvariants to become dominant.
Along with being more transmissible, the new variant has a higher risk of reinfection – though Dr. Bocking reminds everyone that vaccines “still provide good protection against serious illness from COVID-19 with the BA5 variant.”
She added that the new variant does not seem to cause more severe illness, similar to the other Omicron variants. But an important point to remember is that a certain percentage of those who become ill with COVID will suffer seriously enough to require hospitalization. So with a more-transmissible variant that causes higher case numbers, the absolute number of people requiring hospitalization will grow. Dr. Bocking expects this will become evident locally over the next couple of weeks - “but hopefully not as significant numbers as we saw with the last wave.
“It is also important to be aware our hospital system is already under tremendous strain due to a number of factors,” she added, citing staffing issues for physicians, nurses and primary-care professionals.
“Any increased numbers contribute to that strain and the pressure on the system overall. As much as we can avoid any strain on the health-care system, we want to be doing that.”
Provincially, numbers are rising in terms of lab-confirmed new cases, waste-water viral signal indicators, hospital admissions, outbreaks.
“This is not felt equally across the province. Our colleagues in Eastern Ontario and, in particular, Ottawa are experiencing a more rapid increase, with test positivity approaching 20%,” Dr. Bocking said.
Locally, increases are smaller, with only a very small uptick in waste-water indicators.
“Test positivity is increasing. We had gotten as low as 2%, now it's back up to 9% - but it was 22-to-23% at its highest level in the first Omicron wave back in January.
“There is a small increase in the number of outbreaks – four at this time. At the peak of the last wave, it was 23 at its most intense point.”
She termed the increase in hospital admissions from COVID-19 “a steady trickle,” but expects that may increase in the next couple of weeks.
Admitting that she may sound like a broken record, Dr. Bocking urges everyone to remember the common-sense advice she has given so often, like getting up to date on vaccinations and staying home if you are ill. And if you have access to a rapid test that gives a negative reading, don't take it as gospel – check again in 24 to 48 hours to see if it is still negative.
There is some hope in that summer is here and people (presumably) are not gathering as often indoors in large numbers. But Dr. Bocking issued a strong recommendation that people wear a tightly-fitting mask to attend indoor gatherings that are crowded (or that don't permit proper spacing) if they are staying for more than a few minutes.
For those at higher risk of serious illness in case of COVID, she added, “seriously consider wearing masks for any crowded outdoor gatherings – or if they live with or work with others at higher risk.”
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore's announcement that Ontario residents aged 18 and older are now eligible for a second booster (if it has been at least five months since the initial booster or at least three months since a recent COVID-19 infection) puts the spotlight back on vaccinations.
The province is recommending the shot for those who would be at risk of moderate or severe illness as a result of COVID (and for those who live or work with such individuals). Others in that age group are advised to make informed decisions based on their own circumstances.
For that matter, Dr. Bocking reminds everyone of the importance of a first booster. Of eligible HKPR residents, she said, only 69% had it.
“The key message is, if you haven't received your first booster dose, now is the time to do it,” she urged.
As always, pharmacies and many primary-care practices will have access to the vaccine. Health-unit-led clinics are ramping up at health-unit offices, by appointment only through the provincial booking system. This system is being updated to take Dr. Moore's new recommendations into account, and should be ready to go Thursday.
The GO-VAXX buses, as far as she knows, still take walk-ins. Six of these clinics are scheduled in HKPR locations over the next two weeks, with 16 more in August. Any further additions will be posted on the health unit website.
While American parents can get Moderna vaccinations for their children aged six months to five years, Canadian parents must still wait for Health Canada approval and National Advisory Committee on Immunization policy direction. At that point, she expects most of these shots will be administered at health-unit led clinics or the same primary-care providers who give these children their other routine childhood immunizations.
Meanwhile, she recommended, “with increased COVID activity, especially if you are at higher risk, start to decrease your social gatherings. If you are able to, move them outdoors. Or if you are meeting indoors, open the windows.
“We are not expecting from the province a formal policy direction related to restrictions on movement or social-gathering limitations but, at this point in time, it certainly would be appropriate to have that back on you radar in terms of risk of transmission with social gatherings.”
