HURON-PERTH – Now officially two years into the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Huron-Perth Medical Officer of Health Dr. Miriam Klassen says that the region and province continue to be on the right path as of late, but it is still too early for the public to let its guard down just yet, especially its most vulnerable residents.
As of March 1, provincial indoor capacity limits have been lifted and mandatory proof of vaccination is now largely up to facility operators outside the health care sector. There have been zero Huron-Perth COVID outbreaks in higher-risk settings inside the last week.
But with residents still being hospitalized and two additional COVID-related deaths this month, bringing the cumulative regional total up to 94 since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, Klassen continued to stress caution during her bi-weekly media briefing on March 2.
“It’s important to remember that COVID is still circulating at very high rates,” she said. “The difference is now that many of us have a certain level of population immunity, either due to previous infection or vaccination, or sometimes a combination of both. Every time your immune system is exposed to the virus it learns something new and can become stronger.
“Omicron is still circulating, it’s still serious. It’s still leading (to) hospitalizations in Huron-Perth and can lead to long COVID or death.”
Regional vaccination numbers
Approximately 294,000 doses of vaccine have been administered inside the region to date. Eighty-four per cent of all residents five and older have received at least one dose, while 81 per cent are now fully vaccinated (still considered two doses of vaccine). Forty-eight per cent of youth aged 5-11 have had one dose, and 28 per cent are now fully vaccinated.
Sixty-one per cent of residents aged 18 and up have received three doses, including 93 per cent of residents 70 and older. Seventeen per cent of seniors 80 and older have received a fourth dose.
“We know that two doses provide good protection against severe outcomes, three doses are even better,” said Klassen. “Vaccination remains the best defense against COVID-19, and a key part of the longer-term management of the virus. Individuals who are not vaccinated remain at much higher risk of severe outcomes.”
And with a large portion of the regional population now vaccinated, the need for larger-scale clinics has diminished. Huron Perth Public Health recently announced that it expects to begin scaling back clinics starting in April. Anyone who wishes to still get vaccinated will be able to do so, whether it be through the remaining clinics or local pharmacies.
“We did see demand start to drop already in January. We’re not seeing a lot of new people start a vaccine series if they haven’t already,” explained Klassen. “We do think that access has not been an issue in Huron-Perth. There’s been a lot of outreach to ensure that everybody who wants a vaccine can have one.
“I do think that the way things are progressing right now, where people see that case counts are going down, they may feel like the risk is receding and not feeling like this is something to make a priority right now. I think there’s lot of these factors contributing to why the demand is so much less. First of all, 81 per cent of people over five are fully vaccinated. So thank you to Huron and Perth for making it a priority to get vaccinated; by doing that you have really helped in interrupting the chains of transmission – you have helped to keep hospitalizations manageable, you’ve helped to save lives.”
Masking mandates
With talk circulating that provincial mask mandates may be the next pandemic-related restriction to be eased or lifted outright, Klassen was asked her thoughts on the subject.
“I’d like to see where the trends continue… I think that for a lot of people that are at lower risk and in lower-risk settings, it may be appropriate to remove masks,” she said. “Again, I just want to emphasize that community masking is different than masking as a health-care worker for personal protective equipment.”
Klassen explained that difference, referring to the proper placement and disposal procedures of PPE by health-care professionals in higher-risk settings as to not infect themselves or others. She said that with community masking designed to protect others, those at higher risk of developing more severe outcomes after contracting COVID-19 should maintain the status quo when it comes to masking in public settings.
“On a population level, we are moving toward that place,” said Klassen, referring to the lifting of masking mandates. “But there are some individuals that need to be a little more mindful and careful.”
