Doctors and scientists warn that Alberta may have to restore some public health measures, the last of which were repealed this week, in the face of future waves of COVID-19.
As of midnight on Tuesday, the province’s public transport mask mandate was lifted along with the requirement for legal isolation for people who test positive for COVID or have symptoms.
Insulation is now only recommended.
“Giving up something as simple and vital as isolation if you have a disease just seems very premature,” said Dr. Shazma Mitani, a doctor in Edmonton who is surprised by the move.
“My concern is that when these isolation and protection measures are dropped, the number of cases will start to increase again. [and] we will begin to see an effect on our hospitals, which are already very, very stressed. “
Along the top
COVID-19 transmission is declining, and Alberta appears to have surpassed the peak of its BA.2 wave, according to Sarah Otto, a professor of zoology at the University of British Columbia and a member of an independent COVID-19 modeling group.
“Now we see that the numbers are declining,” said Otto, who is following COVID-19 trends in Canada.
However, she warns that new sub-options, including BA.4 and BA.5, which are already circulating in Alberta, could increase numbers again and another wave is expected in the summer or fall.
I would combine the comment that we are in a good place at the moment – seeing this decline in the cases of omicron – with the fact that we will have to increase the restrictions and do it quickly when the cases return, especially if they are more virulent, more deadly options are emerging in our future. “
Sarah Otto, a professor in the Department of Zoology at UBC, says Alberta and British Columbia have crossed the peak of the BA.2 wave. She says people need to be prepared for the need to return some public health measures as cases increase in the coming months. (Paul Joseph)
According to Otto, BC saw an increase in cases after lifting its mandate for a mask across the province on March 11th. Unlike Alberta, which retained the transit masking in place after removing the requirement in other public places, BC eliminated its rules on covering the face at the same time.
“After the abolition of the mandate for masks, we saw an increase in cases. But it is very difficult to understand how much of this is due to the abolition of the mask mandate and how much of it is due to the proliferation of the BA.2 variant, because they both happened at the same time. “
Alberta also noted an increase in cases – which turned into a wave of BA.2 – after the abolition of its mandate for a mask in the countryside (while maintaining the requirement for transit riders) in early March.
The province’s chief medical officer, Dr. Dinah Hinshaw, recently warned that Albert residents should expect another jump in the fall.
“We need to start thinking about COVID as we think about time. Bad weather is happening. Waves will happen. And when it happens – when we get the indication that sub-options are spreading in our communities – then we put on our mask and we raise our levels of protection, just like you would put on a raincoat or take out your umbrella, “Otto said.
She recommends that people wear masks in closed public places, regardless of current rules.
Concern for high-risk Alberts
Dr. Daniel Gregson, a Calgary-based infectious disease physician, expects Alberta to see a “small hit” in the COVID-19 issue with the removal of the last remaining provincial health measures.
“We will see people who have not yet had COVID receive COVID, without restrictions,” said Gregson, who agreed that measures such as camouflage are protections that should be “on” and “off” depending on speed. of transmission.
“We can’t disguise ourselves forever. At some point, they had to drop out. I think the message could have been delivered to give the public the impression that at some point these restrictions could come back. “
According to Gregson, removing the legal requirement for isolation could lead to more people coming to work when they are ill.
“I think that puts people in a difficult position when their employer wants them to come to work. Without a mandate, then you feel pressured to go to work, “he said.
Gregson’s main concern now is the vulnerable Alberts.
“This is very difficult for immunocompromised patients who are at high risk of being admitted [to hospital]and they really have to watch, if they get infected, what should they do? ”
According to Gregson, this includes finding out if you qualify for the antiviral drug Paxlovid before you become ill.
And he said many high-risk Alberts, including some transplant and cancer patients, should talk to their doctors about treatment with the Evushold preventive therapy, which was recently available in the province.
The list of eligibility criteria and instructions for access to these drugs can be found here.
Masking requirements in health facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, are now being treated as an internal policy of Alberta’s health services, and health officials said this week that the rules remain in place.
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