KFL&A’s Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Dr. Kieran Moore is on his way to becoming Ontario’s top doctor.
A statement released by the provincial government Sunday morning said that a motion for Moore to take over the position is on the table.
If the motion passes, Moore will assume the position at the end of June. This follows after Ontario’s current Chief Medical Officer of Health announced his retirement.
“I would characterize it mostly as Kingston’s loss is the province’s gain,” said Kingston Health Sciences infectious disease doctor Gerald Evans.
Moore has been KFL&A’s top doctor since 2017, and Evans has known him for almost 20 years.
He says that how the MOH handled COVID in the region is what caught the province’s attention.
“I think it’s a recognition that Kingston has done extraordinary well during the pandemic, a lot of it really due to the leadership of Dr. Moore in leading the KFL&A team. Working very well with numerous partners, including us at the hospital at Kingston Health Sciences Centre,” Evans said.
This past week, KFL&A’s cases dipped to under 20 people for the first time in months, with 60 per cent of the local population having received their first vaccine dose.
“We’re getting back to a much safer place than we were just a few weeks ago,” said Moore on May 21.
The region experienced numerous outbreaks, including one at the daycare Tiny Hoppers Kingston West, but Moore was able to use them as teachable moments.
“Hopefully we’ll learn just some of the lessons of how this virus is nasty and can spread aggressively during a lunch break, a social event, or any other outside work environment,” Moore said during an online press conference on March 9.
The statement from Ontario Minister of Health Christine Elliott explained that Dr. David Williams, the province’s current Chief Medical Officer of Health, postponed his retirement so he could continue to guide the province through the pandemic. Moore will work alongside Williams to transition smoothly, beginning June 7.
“His ability to bring everyone together, as he calls it, the ‘partners’ in the local regional area, and in KFL&A, in particular, was an important part of how we responded so well to the pandemic,” explained Evans.
Victor Carquez is a Kingston resident who just received his first dose of Pfizer. He says it was an easy and fast process, and credits Moore for that.
“I think he’s done a great job. I mean, obviously, he’s kept our people safe through this pandemic,” said Carquez outside of the Investa Centre, a mass immunization site.
KFL&A Public Health, along with the Ministry of Health department, have both declined to comment at this time.
Evans says that the region will have to wait for updates regarding Moore’s replacement.