Peterborough Public Health’s medical officer of health says although the Omicron variant appears less severe, that doesn’t mean additional measures should not be taken to prevent its transmission.
Dr. Thomas Piggott appeared live on Global News Morning Peterborough on Tuesday to discuss the pandemic and the latest COVID-19 public health measures introduced by the Ontario government on Monday to try to contain the spread of Omicron.
Piggott noted that while the rate of hospitalized cases may not be as rapid as it was earlier in the pandemic, now is not the time to let our guard down.
“To simplify the math, Omicron — even if it is half as severe — it is so much more infectious — maybe about eight times as infectious,” he said. “If you divide by half and multiple by eight, that’s still fourfold the impact of anything we’ve seen before. With how quickly it’s evolving and spreading, that could overwhelm our hospitals and our entire health-care system. So it was really important that actions were taken — of course, balancing with the potential consequences of those.”
The latest restrictions include a ban on indoor dining and gym closures beginning Wednesday while retail stores will be limited to 50 per cent capacity and indoor gatherings capped at five people.
When asked if it’s plausible to just allow Omicron to run its course and keep businesses open, Piggott says there’s still too much uncertainty yet with the variant.
Just after Piggott’s live interview, the province announced more than 11,350 new cases and 266 patients in an intensive care unit — an additional 18 admissions since Monday.
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“The challenge with that is we don’t have enough hospital capacity to account for what that may involve,” he said. “There is still uncertainty with Omicron. We know it appears less severe, we know it’s much more transmissible. We know that vaccines don’t stop its transmission.
“But we’re still seeing hospitalization and ICU admissions. In fact, for every five people who are vaccinated in Ontario’s ICUs with COVID, there are over 100 unvaccinated.
“What’s happening is this is becoming a pandemic of those who have chosen not to be vaccinated.”
Schools will also revert to online learning beginning Wednesday and continue until at least Jan. 26. Piggott says the time needs to be used to improve the school scenarios to make them safer for students amid the pandemic.
“I think parents — in some ways — are probably relieved that we got a two-week extension on our assignment for safer schools,” he said. “It will impact the people disproportionately. I am very concerned about parents who really rely on schools and that will impact their ability to work and their livelihood.
“So it’s no doubt a very difficult decision that needs to be taken very carefully. We need to use this two-week extension that we’ve been given to upgrade rapid testing, masks and improve ventilation and to improve information and communication needs to parents and school staff.”
Piggott noted the health unit will be hosting webinars with area school boards “in the coming weeks.”
“As a parent, I certainly know the uncertainty we are in right now,” he said.
Piggott noted as COVID has evolved, so too must the response to the pandemic needs to evolve, especially to protect the most vulnerable and senior populations.
“We need to upgrade our masks, upgrade our vaccines — three doses is the new two,” he said. “Especially those most vulnerable and those in long-term care homes, we’re now looking at a fourth dose for added protection and rolling that out.
“We need to increase ventilation — even if that’s opening windows and doors,” he continued. “We need to stay home if people have any symptoms at all. We can use rapid antigen tests as well to potentially help. But ultimately at the end of the day, this will impact people who are more vulnerable and have medical conditions or immune systems compromised.
“But we all have a role to play in stopping its transmission,” he said.
— More to come
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