By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—The Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit (HNHU) has reported a total of 110 cases of COVID-19 in the two counties over the last two weeks. This is up sharply from the preceding weeks, with a seven-day rolling average of 6.9 new cases a day as of November 8, double the 3.4 rolling average seen two weeks ago.
A number of the new cases are related to an outbreak at the Haldimand War Memorial Hospital in Dunnville: “There is a population that has been admitted for other reasons and have acquired COVID-19 during their hospital stay,” said Epidemiologist Dr. Katherine Bishop-Williams. “It’s a relatively small number, but it’s an important thing to consider.”
“Seventy-one per cent of cases in Haldimand Norfolk were entirely unvaccinated from June 1 to October 31,” said Bishop-Williams. “Partially vaccinated represented another 7% of the population, and fully vaccinated individuals represented 21% of cases.”
Bishop-Williams said the inflated number of vaccinated patients is not the result of the vaccine not working, but rather a result of vaccinated people being more inclined to follow public health direction and get tested as part of contact tracing. Additionally, the bulk of new cases are coming from a significantly smaller portion of the population who remain unvaccinated.
“The experience now is much more localized and is driven by individually experienced risk factors that extend across communities but aren’t necessarily hitting communities at the same time. In Haldimand and Norfolk we seem to be hitting a peak in what the fourth wave will look like locally,” continued Bishop-Williams. “When you hit a population with a lower vaccination coverage rate, you do tend to see more household spread because the unvaccinated tend to be more inclined to associate with other unvaccinated individuals.”
Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Matt Strauss commented on the uptick: “To me, the red alert metrics are deaths, hospitalizations, and cases in higher risk individuals. That’s a little bit harder to parse out…. Cases aren’t good, but it is cases among high-risk individuals that make me break out into a cold sweat, and I haven’t seen that this far into our experience.”
He noted that an increase in respiratory infections can be expected in the winter months: “It is not a cause for panic; it’s a reason to go get vaccinated.”
“We were seeing lots of death because vaccinations were not available,” said Strauss of past spikes. “We’re in much better shape than we were at this time last year.”
Bishop-Williams explained that HNHU breaks the region into six key areas using area codes: “What we’re seeing is two regions where we see lower coverage rates for vaccination, those would be the Dunnville and Delhi areas … compared to higher vaccine coverage rates in Caledonia and Simcoe.”
Caledonia leads the region for vaccinations, with over 89% of the 12-plus crowd receiving at least one shot. Meanwhile, Dunn-ville is the lowest at 80.6%. Countywide, 84.1% of the total eligible population have now received both doses, amounting to nearly 146,000 shots administered locally.
Strauss urged those in the 45-60 age range to get vaccinated if they’re not already: “They should be aware that cases are going up in our community, and they’re the folks who will unfortunately suffer if they continue to go up.”
MP Leslyn Lewis in hot water for series of tweets questioning vaccine efficacy
Newly elected Haldimand-Norfolk MP Leslyn Lewis has brought a lot of attention to herself regarding her stance on mandatory vaccination policies, likening her refusal to disclose her vaccination status to iconic civil rights activist Rosa Parks in a since-deleted tweet which read, “The media and the power structure expect me to sit in the back of the bus. I won’t!”
The MP also called into question the impending approval of vaccines in the 5-11 age range, saying, “Never have Canadian children been used as shields for adults.”
Lewis’ tweet on vaccinations suggested parents are questioning vaccinating children because there is “a low risk of fatality” for children who contract the virus and because the vaccine does not guarantee the child will not contract or transmit the virus. However, health officials have promoted the vaccine for its ability to significantly reduce the likelihood of contracting the virus and, in the case when a vaccinated person is infected, significantly reduce the symptoms.
Strauss declined to comment on the tweets, stating, “It would behoove me not to get into politics. My office should be independent from politics.”
COVID Vaccine Team Lead Sarah Page, however, stated, “Anytime we see someone who is seen as a trusted or respected member of the public come out with language that is anti-vax or possibly not based on science, we do see some response through social media channels continuing the spread of that information beyond what we hope.”
She concluded, “We encourage people to follow the science and trust your family practitioners and the people that deal with your health care on a daily basis.”
Third dose booster shots now available
Third booster shots are now available to individuals over 70, Indigenous individuals over 16 and their household members, health care workers, essential caregivers, and those who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine: “All of these individuals are now eligible for a booster at the six-month mark past their second dose,” said Page. “Third dose eligibility will expand to the general public at some point in early 2022.”
Those eligible can find dates and locations of upcoming clinics at hnhu.org/popup. The HNHU is also planning a series of child and family-based clinics in December as they wait for the 5-11-year-old age range to become eligible.
The GOVAXX bus will be returning to the area this weekend, setting up a mobile vaccine clinic outside the Canborough Community Centre on November 13, with additional clinics planned for Boston Public School on November 20 and the Port Rowan Community Centre on November 27, all from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Pfizer has been shown to have a bit of a waning in it’s efficacy after 6-8 months, so we’re encouraging everyone to get their booster as it will basically bump you back to that 95-97% effectiveness rate,” said Page.
WHGH creates mandatory vaccine plan
Norfolk and West Haldimand General Hospitals, like many other hospitals across Ontario, will require anyone working on-site to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 4, 2022.
The vaccination policy extends to employees, physicians, contractors, volunteers, and students.
The decision to mandate the vaccine is meant to ensure the hospital remains a safe space for every community member, whether they are a patient or health care worker.
“It is our responsibility to provide a safe environment for our staff and for anyone who requires our care,” said Interim President and CEO Kim Mullins. “We believe this vaccination policy will provide safe, high-quality care that the community expects from us.”
All staff and physicians at NGH and WHGH are required to receive their final dose by December 21 to ensure full compliance before January 4. Until then, any staff member who is not fully vaccinated will be required to test regularly for the COVID-19 virus. The hospital is also taking steps to ensure staff who are not fully vaccinated receive education and consultation on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines to make sure they are fully informed. By taking a phased approach to a mandatory vaccine, NGH and WHGH can ensure that staff who have not yet been vaccinated have the necessary time to receive both doses. In addition, all new employees, professional staff, contractors, volunteers, and students are required to be fully vaccinated.
The majority of staff and physicians have already committed to protecting patients and each other by getting vaccinated. As of November 2, 2021, 90% of physicians and nearly 90% of staff at NGH have reported that they are fully vaccinated. At WHGH, 100% of physicians and 85% of staff are fully vaccinated.
The goal and expectation is that every worker at NGH and WHGH who can be vaccinated will be vaccinated. Staff and physicians have worked tirelessly to protect our communities throughout the pandemic, and they deserve protection and support to enable them to do their jobs safely, and to the best of their abilities.
For more information on getting vaccinated, visit hnhu.org.
