HURON-PERTH – As the province moves closer to its latest round of pandemic restrictions being eased on March 1, Huron-Perth Public Health (HPPH) Medical Officer of Health Dr. Miriam Klassen stresses that cautionary measures must still be taken as COVID-19 continues to circulate.
Among the Ontario government-imposed changes to be implemented next week include the lifting of proof of vaccination requirements at public settings, including recreation facilities and restaurants. Indoor capacity limits will also be lifted.
“The province continues to monitor public health indicators, and as long as they continue to improve, then the following public health and workplace health and safety measures will come into effect on March 1: Capacity limits will be lifted in all indoor public settings, and proof of vaccination requirements will be lifted, with businesses allowed to implement them voluntarily,” said Klassen during her bi-weekly media briefing on Feb. 16. “Please note that other protective measures, such as mask/face covering requirements and screening of patrons will be in place, with additional information coming about the timeline to lift some of those additional requirements.”
Klassen added that public health units can deploy local and regional responses based on health indicators, and highest-risk settings may receive additional measures.
“The fact that the government has been able to accelerate the reopening plan is good news,” she said. “However, there are still many factors in play.”
“Immunity doesn’t last, and new variants are likely to emerge, meaning that we will have an uneasy co-existence with COVID-19 for some time.”
As of HPPH’s online report last week, 92 Huron-Perth residents have now passed away due to COVID-19-related factors since the onset of the pandemic nearly two years ago – an increase of seven deaths from the previous two weeks. There were three active regional outbreaks last week, one in a long-term care home (Queensway Nursing Home, Bluewater – 54 cases), one at a hospital (South Huron Hospital – 29 cases), and one at an unnamed congregate living setting.
As of Feb. 14, over 291,000 vaccine doses have been administered in Huron-Perth. Eighty-four per cent of all regional residents five and older have received at least one dose; 61 per cent aged 18 and older have received three doses. Ninety-three per cent of adults aged 70 and older have received three doses.
During the media briefing, Klassen was asked how difficult it was in her position to continue to see resistance to pandemic counter-measures, specifically those organizing and participating in protests throughout the province.
“Certainly, Huron-Perth supports the fundamental right to protest peacefully, and so we believe that is good and people have the right to express themselves. As I said before, we are strongly opposed to acts and expressions of hate, racism and violence,” she said. “All the actions that we have taken – all the public health measures we have taken – over the last two years have been effective, and they have saved lives, and they have slowed transmission, and they have prevented more outbreaks. And they have helped the hospital capacity cope.
“We always knew that once the pandemic got to a certain point that we couldn’t stop the pandemic… What we could do was try and minimize the impacts of the pandemic and that we could try to find the right balance as well. Public health measures also have adverse impacts; keeping people home and minimizing social opportunities. The goal was always to try and find the right balance, and I think we can debate that. Nobody knew ahead of time, there wasn’t a playbook, there never has been a coronavirus pandemic before.”
