Adam Prudhomme
Editor
As Public Health measures are lifted across the province this month, KFLA’s local health unit will continue to keep a close watch on disease activity in the community.
Speaking with local media on Wednesday, KFLA Public Health medical officer of health Dr. Piotr Oglaza says though there’s been a slight increase in the region’s numbers of late, overall the data is encouraging.
“Over the past six weeks we have seen a small increase in our per cent positivity, however it’s important to note that our current hospitalizations remain stable,” said Oglaza. “We currently have less than 10 individuals (in hospital due to COVID-19). What’s important to note also is our other indicators which is waste water testing, we monitor them closely, they do remain stable however there was a small, very slight increase in waste water signals, we are watching it very, very closely.”
Oglaza attributed the encouraging data to the region’s high vaccine uptake coupled with the less potent Omicron variant that has become the dominant strain.
“The ongoing circulation of the Omicron variant in our community can still be happening without an impact on our acute healthcare setting. That’s really important, that impact on our acute healthcare setting is a very significant indicator,” said Oglaza. “That’s because of the combined benefit of the high vaccination rate as well as Omicron being a less severe variant resulting in on average less risk of hospitalization.”
The beginning of March saw proof of vaccination requirement lifted for most indoor settings across Ontario.
“That proof of vaccination were always intended to be a temporary measure to help protect the health and safety of Ontarians during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Oglaza. “At this point the one measure that still remains is indoor masking. What I would like to remind the community and appeal to everyone to keep in mind is that with the ongoing baseline transmission and level of COVID-19 in the community, it is important to continue practicing the basic safety measures and that includes things like self-awareness and screening for symptoms, staying home when symptomatic. That’s a really key measure here. Getting a booster dose will have also have an added impact both on the individual risk of severe COVID-19, we know that two dose series is protective against serious illness but three dose is even better and also can reduce the risk of transmission to others to some extent.”
Mask requirements for indoor settings is the next measure that is expected to be lifted, though no date has been officially set.
“This is something that the data and information is gathered by the province,” Oglaza said when asked about masks. “As provincial decisions are being made, they’re made in the context of overall disease activity in the communities across Ontario. The provincial decisions come from the chief medical officer of health, from the science table and from the surveillance that we conduct locally and local health units and if and when the decision is made that the province no longer requires masks in an indoor setting, it will be based on that data.”
Though proof of vaccine mandates have been lifted by the province, individual businesses are still able to keep the requirement in place if they so choose.
“If they serve customers of clients who are going to be reassured by the continued requirement of proof of vaccination, that’s something that businesses may choose to do in order to serve their customers,” said Oglaza. “That option is available, it’s on the table. What I will ask the community is to respect those choices and give the opportunity for both businesses and customers to express their desires how comfortable they are with certain measures and whether they want them to continue on.”
Oglaza closed his comments by reflecting on the fact March marks one year since the launch of a mass immunization clinic at Kingston’s Invista Centre. One at Napanee’s Strathcona Paper Centre was established a few weeks later.
“I would like to take the time to thank so many in our community including our clinic staff, volunteers, pharmacists, primary care providers, paramedics, hospitals, municipalities, school boards, post-secondary institutions, committee partners and everyone who help deliver more than 480,000 COVID-19 vaccines in the KFLA region,” said Oglaza. “I would like to thank everyone in the KFLA region for rolling up their sleeves and getting the vaccine.”