By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—The Provincial government has provided a framework leading toward the end of COVID-related public health guidelines, set to culminate next March, including an immediate lifting of capacity restrictions in various indoor venues where proof-of-vaccination is required.
“I support the lifting of restrictions that has occurred,” said local Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Matt Strauss. “At this point, on a population level, we are so, so much further ahead than we were a year ago. I think that this lifting of restrictions makes sense and I’m happy to see it.”
Strauss said that there is a consensus among experts and population health scientists in the province that the fourth wave is coming to an end and that it was far less destructive than originally anticipated: “That further rationalizes the lifting of restrictions.”
Some critics are worried that such aggressive measures may bolster the unvaccinated portion of the population to forego vaccination. Strauss disagrees with this concern.
“Based on my clinical experience and published literature, the way to get more people vaccinated is to build trust between them and the person making the recommendation,” he said. “For someone who is so entrenched in their hesitancy, I don’t think not being able to go for dinner or to the theatre is going to be the difference for them at this point. I think that honest, contextualized, personalized conversations with someone they believe cares for them is the way moving forward.”
Halloween concern limited
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore has released his recommendations for Halloween, stating that trick-or-treating is a go, with some safety precautions in place such as staying home if you have any symptoms, trick-or-treating outdoors where possible, refraining from singing or shouting for your treats, not crowding doorsteps, and keeping interactions brief.
“I think that concerns over trick-or-treating last year were around keeping adults out of the ICU,” added Dr. Strauss. “Steps should be taken to make it as safe as possible, as the Chief MOH has outlined, but children have sacrificed a lot and missed out on a whole lot of fun and physical activity over the last year and a half…. I wish children a Happy Halloween.”
Strauss touched on a separate safety-related Halloween issue he sees as much more pressing: “The far greater risk on Halloween night is traffic accidents; 150 children in Ontario die every year due to motor vehicles. That should be completely unacceptable and is abhorrent. Prior to the pandemic it was always one of my passions to see that number come down.”
Vaccinating the 5- to 11-year-old crowd
Although no official decision has been made regarding the vaccination of the 5- to 11-year-old portion of the population, the Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit has been busy preparing for the possibility.
“We are definitely hearing that before the end of the year vaccine will be approved for 5- to 11-year-olds,” said COVID Vaccine Team Lead Sarah Page. “It is a very different cohort than we’ve run into in the past, so we’ve definitely been planning some child-oriented clinics…. We’re looking at things like colouring pages, little tattoos, balloons, and making it a positive experience.”
Schools may be an option, as they are a proven safe environment for young children, but no such clinics are currently planned.
Hamilton clinic significantly lowers
negative outcomes for high-risk patients
St. Joseph’s hospital in Hamilton recently launched the province’s first monoclonal antibody therapy clinic. Early studies have shown that the treatment can reduce COVID hospitalization rates by 71% and death by 70%.
Strauss said he has discussed the results with Dr. Zain Chagla, the McMaster University-based physician spearheading the clinic: “It is remarkably effective. It is Health Canada approved; there is nothing experimental about these medications. If you are a high-risk person who has come down with COVID-19 … try to get a referral to Dr. Chagla’s clinic. The best evidence we have is that this treatment can cut the death rate in half.”
Strauss clarified that this treatment is not a reason to bypass vaccination, which is still the most effective way to avoid serious complications due to COVID.
On vaccinations and pregnancy
“There has been a lot of concern among folks who are considering pregnancy regarding the vaccine and fertility. I want to assure that all of the evidence that I have reviewed does not show this to be an issue,” said Strauss. “All of the evidence I’ve seen shows that pregnant women are at much, much more risk of having a bad time with COVID-19 than non-pregnant women of a similar risk class.”
Strauss said that in his 10 years working as an ICU doctor, he would typically see two pregnant women a year come in, but this past April in the span of a month he witnessed two young, healthy women nearly die in the ICU of COVID-related issues, with the only shared risk factor between them being pregnancy: “If you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, I urge you to get vaccinated.”
