By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—During an announcement on Monday morning, Premier Doug Ford made a stark prediction, warning that an overload of Omicron cases could bring the province to its knees, with over 100,000 new cases a day.
As a result, the Provincial government has issued a series of new restrictions that puts Ontario at a modified Step 2 of the reopening plan utilized during the third wave of COVID last spring.
“The immediate goal of these measures will be to blunt the latest wave so we can ease the pressure on our hospitals,” said Ford during his announcement. “We face a tsunami of new cases in the days and weeks ahead.”
As part of those measures, Ontario’s schools, previously scheduled to reopen January 5, will remain closed until at least January 17 in a bid to buy time to slow the Omicron variant down.
“The level of absenteeism we’re seeing in other sectors tells us with absolute certainty that operating schools, ensuring teachers are on the job and not home sick will be a challenge we cannot overcome in the short-term,” said the Premier.
Additional restrictions include the temporary closure of gyms, indoor dining, indoor meeting and event spaces, with limited exceptions, along with recreational facilities including arenas, museums, zoos, historic sites, and festivals.
Social gatherings must be limited to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors, while retail stores and malls will return to 50% capacity. Likewise, capacity for funerals, weddings, and religious services and outdoor facilities will be set at 50%.
A pause will be placed on non-urgent medical procedures as the provincial health care system braces for an expected increase in hospitalizations that, according to projections, could overwhelm the entire health system.
The new measures will remain in place for a minimum of 21 days, ending on January 26. To help families impacted by the announcement the Province is offering free childcare for frontline workers with school-aged children.
Additionally, businesses ordered to close will have their property tax and energy costs waived, while businesses forced to reduce capacity to 50% will have half of those expenses covered.
“The evidence tells us that about 1% of people who get Omicron will end up in the hospital,” said Ford.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said that hospitalizations will ascend rapidly in coming weeks: “We anticipate a very short, quick, rapid approach to this epidemic and the impact on the health care system.”
On Tuesday, the Haldimand Norfolk Helath Unit (HNHU) reported 919 active cases and 28 outbreaks, of which 13 were tied to a classroom settings. The daily average was 77 cases.
Changes to testing and tracking
In addition to the new restrictions, Ontario has announced some major overhauls to the ways COVID-19 is tracked and the availability of testing for people who suspect they may have COVID or have been in direct contact with a positive case.
Where previously symptomatic people could book a PCR test, they are now being limited to those who meet the required eligibility for testing, including health care workers dealing directly with patients, in addition to staff, residents and visitors in hospitals and LTC facilities, as well as group homes, correctional facilities, and temporary foreign worker environments.
Additionally, testing will be available for those considered at high risk of serious illness due to COVID, such as patients in emergency departments, and people transferring to or from a hospital to a congregate care setting.
For those who do not meet eligibility but believe they may have contracted COVID, they must isolate for five days after first developing a symptom if fully vaccinated or under the age of 12, and for 10 days if unvaccinated or immunocompromised. People may leave isolation once they reach the end of their allotted period and have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
Symptoms to look for that may indicate a positive case include shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, fever, chills, and coughing. Additional symptoms to look out for are a combination of the following: nasal congestion, a runny nose, headache and fatigue, muscle or joint aches, and a sore throat.
If you have identified these symptoms, the Province advises that you should tell anyone who was less than two metres away for a minimum of 15 minutes without protective equipment over the prior 48 hours before symptoms began.
With these changes in place, it is unclear how the Provincial government will continue to track ongoing cases of COVID, however they continue to provide daily numbers through covid-19.ontario.ca.
Community vaccine update: January 3, 2022
from the Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit
The HNHU and its partners have administered over 173,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to date. The population over the age of 5 is now 80.3% vaccinated with at least one dose and 76.0% fully vaccinated.
On December 20, the province expanded eligibility for boosters for anyone 18+, which includes 65,000-75,000 people in Haldimand and Norfolk. Boosters can be offered 84 days after the previous dose.
The HNHU and local partners have increased local capacity to over 6,000 doses per week.
There are a limited number of appointments available on the HNHU booking tool. The HNHU is expanding current clinics as quickly as possible. Additionally, the HNHU has been working to mobilize mass clinics again that will start operating again this week. Mass clinic sites currently include the Riverside Exhibition Centre Clinic in Caledonia and the Simcoe Recreation Centre Clinic.
Being fully vaccinated and receiving a booster dose continues to be the most effective way to protect yourself from COVID-19 infection, including the Omicron variant. Being fully vaccinated (two doses) will help to reduce the likelihood of severe outcomes but a booster will dramatically improve the likelihood for less severe outcomes.
There is a province-wide shortage of Pfizer that is expected to last through the end of January. All new appointments for boosters will be Moderna. We continue to recommend that individuals take the earliest available appointment, regardless of vaccine brand.
Pfizer-specific clinics are being added when possible because Pfizer is the preferred vaccine for those who are 12-29 years old.
Currently the 5-11 year old population in HNHU is 30.4% vaccinated with at least one dose. There are no supply concerns with the pediatric formulation of Pfizer. For children born in 2017 (turning 5 in 2022), the Ministry of Health has currently only approved the vaccine by birth date (those who have turned 5). Getting children vaccinated is an important way to protect them and those around them.
Due to a sharp increase in demand, walk-ins are no longer accepted at clinics. All doses require an appointment.
GO-VAXX Bus updates
The GO-VAXX bus has moved to online booking for all bus pop-ups. The bus can accommodate 300 appointments and can be booked using the Provincial booking tool as of 8 a.m. the day before the clinic.
GO-VAXX Bus clinics
January 8, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Port Dover Community Centre
January 15, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Fisherville Lions Community Centre
GO-VAXX will be offering pop-up indoor clinics at Dunnville Lifespan on Fridays in January. Appointments can be booked for indoor pop-ups at hnhu.org/popup.
Children’s clinics
Children’s vaccine clinics will be held in a variety of locations and will be available for booking on hnhu.org/popup. Clinics will initially be held in Simcoe, Caledonia, Delhi, Dunnville, and added to other communities as needed.
Mass Clinics (12+)
The HNHU and its partners are working hard to increase capacity to accommodate booster eligibility. Appointments continue to be posted at hnhu.org/popup. Doses for individuals over the age of 12 can also be received by booking with family physicians and pharmacies.
