Haldimand-Norfolk’s new acting medical officer of health (AMOH) says he’s been learning “where folks are at” in relation to vaccine hesitancy among the two counties since taking the reins of the health unit two weeks ago.
Dr. Matt Strauss officially began his tenure on Sept. 14 and told media in a presser on Monday that his first concern is a “divet” in vaccinations among the 40 to 60 age cohort, and predicted “excess mortality” should the rate not increase in the months to come.
As of Monday, about 78 per cent of those aged 40 to 60 have been fully immunized against COVID-19, with only 75 per cent of those aged 45 to 59 having had two doses of vaccines.
Over 78 per cent of Haldimand-Norfolk’s residents aged 12-plus have been fully immunized against COVID-19 with 83 per cent of the eligible population (62,259) having at least one shot.
The region is still behind the provincial average of 80.5 per cent having had second doses 12 and older. First dose coverage in Ontario stands at 86 per cent as of Monday.
“I suspect that excess mortality will be observed in that cohort of unvaccinated 40- to 60-year-olds,” Strauss said.
“Prediction is fraught, but I feel pretty grimly confident on that point. So we are brainstorming as a team how to reach more folks that way, again, leaning on these community partnerships and introductions that I’ve been making.”
Prior to his appointment, questions about Strauss’ views on COVID-19 lockdowns shared social media in recent months were the catalyst for controversy to his appointment by Haldimand-Norfolk’s board of health (BOH) on July 22.
One post in question included an April 9 excerpt in which he suggested COVID-19 lockdowns “are based on fear and coercion,” while another on Aug. 3 suggested he’d “sooner give his kids COVID-19 than a McDonald’s Happy Meal.”
The issue became contentious when Liberal health critic John Fraser called for a veto of Strauss’s appointment, suggesting he opposed “life-saving public health measures” amid the fourth wave of the pandemic.
The AMOH designate received a vote of confidence the day prior to his start after the BOH voted unanimously to move on from any further discussions about his appointment.
Strauss says much of his time in his first two weeks have been spent in meetings with community leaders, faith leaders, and family doctors.
He suggests some of the hesitancy is likely based on residents not trusting facts from medical institutions and not a failure of having access to the facts about vaccines.
“One of my main interests is how we can meet people where they’re at, deal with their specific concerns in the most transparent way possible,” Strauss said.
The AMOH went on to urge residents with concerns to reach out to their family doctors for advice which he believes would “render a recommendation to get it.”
During Monday’s session, epidemiologist Dr. Kate Bishop-Williams said public heath modelling for the region suggests the impact of a fourth wave may hit either early or mid-October.
However, she tempered that assessment, saying current data suggests the region is “coursing better” than originally thought.
“I would say that there’s there’s no reason to believe with our local data or provincial or national data right now that it’s not still ahead,” Bishop-Williams said.
“We just maybe are going to have to be leaning towards some of those slightly less steep or mid-range projections.”
Strauss concurred with the outlook and suggested COVID-19 was here to stay and that very few will be able to avoid getting it.
“My priority is to make everyone as safe as possible,” Strauss said.
“With respect to hospital capacity, but moreover, with respect to vaccination. So I think if you haven’t been exposed to COVID-19, that’s good, but that day is likely to come and that’s where the vaccinations come in.”
Outbreak over at RVilla retirement home in Caledonia
During Monday’s presser Bishop-Williams revealed an outbreak at a retirement community in Caledonia, tied to fully vaccinated residents, was declared over as of the weekend.
The surge, which began in early September, involved five breakthrough cases among residents with “mild symptoms” at the RVilla retirement home on Argyle Street South, which houses roughly 40 residents.
Bishop-Williams said public health has not yet determined how the virus got into the home.
“It’s unclear how the outbreak began. We don’t know what the source of acquisition for that index case was or for that first individual who became symptomatic and then tested positive,” Bishop-Williams said.
During the outbreak, two people were sent to hospital for treatment with one transferred for “additional assistance” due to comorbidity to a disease they already had prior to contracting COVID-19.
As of Tuesday, Haldimand Norfolk has 21 active cases in the region. The region’s seven-day rolling average of cases is down this week to 2.1 compared to the 3.6 reported the past week.
Bishop-Wiliams says the region is currently monitoring two reported outbreaks with one at a workplace and another connected with a bus.