Heading into this long weekend, there may be an unwanted guest at the holiday gatherings: Omicron’s highly addictive BA.2 sub-variant.
The subvariant is now the dominant circulating strain of COVID-19 in Ontario, Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Public Health Officer (MOH) for Public Health in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL & A), confirmed late Thursday, April 14, 2022 He called on the public to take appropriate precautions to make the holiday weekend happy.
“Residents can make plans to reunite with loved ones, and we are fully aware that spending time with those close to us is very important for everyone’s mental health,” Oglaza said in his two-week update of the pandemic to the media. “So, for anyone planning to reunite with others, I encourage everyone to assess their own risk and the risk of others attending the reunion and to make decisions based on that risk assessment.
The safest option for those who gather is to wear masks in closed situations where distancing can be difficult. “We need to go back to the previous message and recommendations – especially for those at high risk. “Consider keeping the collection less and limiting the number of guests outside your household,” he said.
Dr. Piotr Oglaza, KFL & A’s Public Health Officer (MOH) for Public Health, addressed the media during his two-week COVID-19 update for the region on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Image captured on screen.
Oglaza also suggested that people consider gathering outdoors. “The weather is certainly better now, and it could be a safer option. “If the collection is still intended for indoor use, keeping windows and doors open will increase airflow and also reduce risk,” he said.
Staying home when you are sick, even if the symptoms are mild, is extremely important to stop the spread, he said.
“With Omicron, the types of symptoms that people experience may be mild and may not be similar to what we thought of COVID before. It can be like [simple as] sore throat or headache, “said the Ministry of Health. “And if someone has symptoms, even mild ones, I strongly encourage them to stay at home.
Oglaza called for special attention to be paid to the immunocompromised, those with major health problems, the elderly and the unvaccinated, noting: “I know this is not the news we wanted to hear before the long weekend, but really, especially for those who are most endangered is important. “
Omicron BA.2 is spreading very easily and is starting to affect the number of new hospitalizations for COVID-19 in our region, Oglaza reported. “And what’s important here is that the number of new hospitalizations has increased significantly over the last 14 days; however, the important thing is [that] our active hospitalizations remain stable, “he said.
Hospitalized patients in this wave have shorter hospital stays than previous waves, and this seems to be due to two things, Oglaza said: “One is the potentially lower severity of Omicron, but two are the strong protective effects of vaccination. against hospitalization and serious illness. ”
“Our wastewater concentration and positivity rate seem to be stabilizing,” he continued. “However, we will continue to monitor the data to see if this trend is followed by a decline.
In terms of the number of infections, “Prevention strategies continue to depend on the fact that we all take very simple actions to reduce transmission. “These actions are not new, we are all used to them and they still play an important role in the next wave,” Oglaza said.
Vaccination with the full range of doses remains Oglaza’s best advice for preventing serious illness, “and for those aged 60 and over, this means the fourth dose”.
The province announced this week that antiviral treatments for COVID-19 will be more available in pharmacies, and Oglaza said that “although they are not a substitute for vaccination, they are available and provide an additional safety margin to protect against severe outcomes for certain the highest risk groups of people if they become infected. ”
As antiviral treatment must be started within five days of the onset of symptoms and these different treatment options must be considered in the context of the health of someone and other medicines they may be taking, it is important that these people contact their healthcare provider to determine if this is the right course of action for them. Oglaza encouraged those who may be more vulnerable, even if they have no symptoms, to consider talking to their doctor to plan in advance what treatment may be available or needed.
Masking has been a hot topic of questioning by reporters, who said some Ontario school boards have returned to mandatory masking and that the sixth wave appears to have increased due to mixed reports of the abolition of the mask mandate.
Oglaza has repeatedly stressed that wearing a mask indoors is still a very good idea in public places, but “this in itself is not a sufficient single safeguard … vaccination and boosters are key here, and monitoring symptoms and staying home when you are sick ”are all still needed to stop the spread of COVID.
There have been seven COVID-related deaths in as many days as reported by KFL & A, and deaths continue to rise in the region during this sixth wave. Oglaza offered “sincere condolences to all families who lost loved ones to COVID-19 during this pandemic, but also recently.”
“We know that this age is … the most important predictor of difficult results and … the population aged 80 and over would be the most vulnerable. Vaccination [provides them with] very strong protection from their booster doses and second boosters, depending on the situation … and yet, unfortunately, there may be some circumstances in which these people … die from COVID-19, “he admitted.
“Unfortunately, we have also seen deaths in younger age groups … When I looked at the circumstances, unfortunately some of them were not vaccinated – so this would certainly be a known risk factor for severe COVID,” he explained.
Alternatively, those who succumbed to COVID-19 may have had other medical conditions that made them more vulnerable in general, Oglaza said, so even vaccination may not have had enough protective factors.
“Every clinical situation is certainly different… we analyze these data very, very carefully. “This is something we share with the province as part of a wider Ontario surveillance,” he said.
“Every time there is an increased risk of transmission, there is an increased risk of hospitalization… Unfortunately, we see the severe manifestations of COVID. They are relatively rare… “Unfortunately, we are obliged to see more hospitalizations and… there may be more deaths,” Oglaza warned.
So what makes this wave of pandemic different?
“The main thing that has changed between what we see now and what we have seen in previous waves is that we are dealing with a different option,” explained the Ministry of Health. “This is a highly transferable option that is known to be prevalent in many international jurisdictions, despite all the measures that are being followed, and sometimes even stricter. [measures than here in Ontario] – despite the blockage, despite the ongoing masking. So we know that stopping [spread] from this highly portable virus is not something that is possible. “
“In this province, the key strategy is to reduce the risk for those who may inevitably be exposed and then infected and sick with the virus,” he continued. “That’s why the focus is on immunization, and now it’s on antiviral drugs,” [with] masks are this additional, recommended measure. “
Oglaza reiterated: “What will happen [KFL&A] Among other jurisdictions that have a much greater impact on the population, it is the fact that we are highly immune … and also the high absorption of vaccines among the most vulnerable. “
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