Lambton COVID-19 cases climb, provincial mitigation measures announced

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Bluewater Health’s decision to pause all but urgent and emergent surgeries and procedures will remain in place until at least Jan. 26.

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Ontario announced Monday a provincewide delay, beginning Wednesday, on similar surgeries and procedures at all hospitals as part of a suite of measures to help curb the rapid rise of Omicron-variant COVID-19 cases.

Bluewater Health independently implemented similar restrictions last week amid rising case counts and the resultant pressure on hospital resources.

Those restrictions will continue amid the provincial announcement, a spokesperson said.

Other provincial measures announced Monday to “blunt” the rapid spread of the variant and keep hospitals from being overwhelmed – and give more time for vaccination efforts that help reduce disease severity – are caps of five people indoors and 10 people outdoors for gatherings; the closure of indoor dining, theaters, and – to all except select elite athletes, including Olympians in training – gyms; 50 per cent capacity restrictions for libraries, retail shopping and religious services like weddings and funerals; and a requirement for workers to work from home whenever possible.

Introduced as part of a modified version of Step Two of the provincial Roadmap to Reopen, all measures start Jan. 5 and last until at least Jan. 26, provincial officials said.

The exception is virtual learning at schools, also announced to start Jan. 5, but lasting until at least Jan. 17.

About one per cent of all Omicron cases result in hospitalizations and, with cases predicted to number in the hundreds of thousands without intervention, the health-care system won’t be able to handle the deluge, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said during a Monday press conference.

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Health Minister Christine Elliott Monday tweeted 1,231 people were hospitalized in the province with COVID-19, including 248 patients in intensive care, while there were 13,578 new cases.

With these additional measures, provincial officials hope cases and pressures on hospitals peak by the end of January, Ontario chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore said during the press conference.

More supports, including measures under the Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program, are being extended to businesses impacted by the restrictions, Ford said.

The program provides rebates for property tax and energy costs for eligible businesses from 50 to 100 per cent, depending on type.

“We can and will get through this,” Ford said, but warned it will be difficult.

In Sarnia-Lambton, cumulative cases increased by 249 Monday to 6,194, public health officials reported, while recoveries grew to 4,860.

That’s after cases climbed 345 between Friday and Sunday.

The number of active cases in the Sarnia region Monday was 1,250.

The death toll was 84, after a Bluewater Health spokesperson confirmed Friday a local man in his 70s had died in hospital.

There have been 70 COVID-19 deaths at Bluewater Health to date, but that figure includes people from outside Lambton.

Bluewater Health recently announced it was no longer accepting patients from other areas.

There were seven community outbreaks active, public health reported Monday.

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In hospital, the number of patients with confirmed COVID-19 was 20, a Bluewater Health spokesperson said.

Eight were in intensive care.

Bluewater Health chief of staff Dr. Mike Haddad Monday morning tweeted total bed occupancy was at 90 per cent while 62 per cent of ICU patients had COVID pneumonia.

Of those patients, 87 per cent were unvaccinated, he said.

“Omicron might be milder, but lack of any immunity is a risk for serious disease.”

As of Dec. 30, the most recent data available, 76 per cent of Lambton County’s population age five and older had received two or more vaccine doses, public health reported.

Another 5,100 residents need to get a second dose to reach 80 per cent, officials said.

The percentage who’d received a third dose was 19 per cent.

Visit getthevaccine.ca for information about upcoming clinics.

-with files from Terry Bridge and Paul Morden

[email protected]

* An earlier version of this story incorrectly said measures would last until at least Jan. 21 instead of Jan. 26.