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The huge spike in reported COVID-19 cases isn’t giving a true picture of the local impact of Omicron variant, says Brant’s acting medical officer of health.
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“Based on the province’s updated testing strategy, reported numbers are not a metric we can continue to use to distinguish the true levels of infection in our community,” Dr. Rebecca Comley said during a media briefing on Tuesday.
“With the levels of transmissibility that we know Omicron presents, every setting now presents a much larger risk to acquire COVID-19 than we’ve seen previously.
“This is the mindset we need residents to consider when they are going about their daily lives.”
Ontario changed its COVID-19 testing and isolation rules on Dec. 31. Publicly funded PCR testing is only available for high-risk people who are symptomatic or who who are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19. The province says people with symptoms who don’t meet the new eligibility criteria should assume they are infected and follow self-isolation guidelines. The new guidelines require vaccinated people and children under the age of 12 who are sick with COVID-19 to self-isolate for a minimum of five days following the date when their symptoms started, instead of 10.
The Brant County Health Unit reported a record 945 new cases for the week ended Jan. 2. That number obliterates last week’s case total of 368, which was the previous record.
There were just over 1,000 local COVID-19 cases reported during the first nine months of the pandemic.
“As the data continues to come in, we are largely seeing the same patterns as other parts of the world with respect to Omicron,” said Comley. “Infections are generally presenting as milder than previous waves. That said, we are also seeing the same healthcare capacity concerns as other areas based on Omicron’s advanced ability to spread. ”
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On Tuesday, the Brant Community Healthcare System reported there were 19 patients with COVID-19 at Brantford General Hospital, two of them in critical care.
The province announced on Monday new measures meant to blunt transmission and prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. This includes moving schools online for at least two weeks, temporarily closing indoor dining and gyms and pausing non-urgent medical procedures.
“While we’re in this pause, it is critical that all who have not yet done so receive their first and second dose of vaccine,” said Comley. “The percentage of those who remain unvaccinated have the capacity to overwhelm the health-care system based on what we know about Omicron.”
As of Dec. 12, 81.5 per cent of local residents, aged five and older, have received one dose of vaccine, whole 76 per cent have received two or more doses.
Appointments are open for booster shots through the health unit website for those who are eligible, and walk-ins continue at clinics offering first and second doses.
Noting that in-class learning “is an essential piece in a child’s overall development,” Comley said there “weren’t a lot of great options” to closing schools until at least Jan. 17.
She is urging parents “to use this time away from in-class learning to protect your child with a first or second dose.”