Expert advises wearing a mask as COVID-19 cases rise in Simcoe Muskoka
The emergence of the new BA.5 COVID-19 variant has seen case counts increase in each of the last two weeks in Simcoe County, with 44 new this week by Monday alone.
"There is good reason, not for panic, not for dire - you don't have to be sleepless about it. But there is reason for concern and to take action," said Dr. Barry Nathanson, a physician in the intensive care unit at Southlake in Newmarket.
With residents not testing as often, medical officials have had to resort to other ways to spot and predict COVID-19 trends.
"We're really reliant upon wastewater signals as an early or leading indicator for where we are in the pandemic, and we are seeing a rise in general wastewater signals for viral loads," said Dr. Nathanson.
Doctors say the latest variants are a much more formidable opponent for our immune systems.
"It seems to be able to re-infect previously infected and immunized persons after about two to three months," said Dr. Colin Lee, an Associate Medical Officer of Health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
RELATED
- Regional hospitals to continue mask mandates despite province lifting the mandate
- Simcoe Muskoka's top doctor urges caution as province lifts more mask mandates
While the doctors say they are always concerned about viral infections, some remain more concerned than others.
"In the last couple of weeks, we are seeing signs of increase. I think the honeymoon period in terms of COVID activity might be coming to an end soon," said Dr. Lee.
"I think the key thing is that because we are vaccinated and because we have treatments, even though those numbers are rising, we're seemingly getting mild cases right, not severe cases, so I think that's important," added former Ontario Medical Association President, Dr. Sohail Gandhi.
"Our health services system continues to struggle mightily. Not only with COVID but volumes in general. Emergency departments, hospitals really are very, very tight," reminded Dr. Nathanson.
As for how we proceed going forward, it's not a new formula, according to doctors.
"Without meaning to be disrespectful to our leadership, I'd like to see our government and public health leaders demonstratively pull their heads out of the sand. The pandemic is not over, and they are acting as though it is, and that's a false, unhelpful, harmful message. We need to ramp up testing. You don't even hear about it anymore," suggested Dr. Nathanson.
"One thing I'm recommending is that we really need to put a focus on ventilation because COVID is an airborne virus, and so we need to make sure public places or places where people congregate have high-efficiency ventilation," said Dr. Gandhi.
"At this time, I think the best way to protect yourself is if you haven't worn your mask for a while, it's time to start wearing it especially indoors, especially when it's crowded or if you'll be spending more than just a few moments there," said Dr. Lee.
The associate medical officer of health emphasized that although people earned the right to go out and be social again given the state of recent COVID numbers, they still need to be mindful of others and especially the vulnerable.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.