Hamilton’s top doctor expresses support for ‘cautious and careful reopening’
Hamilton's medical officer of health expressed support for Ontario's reopening plan that aims to lift all COVID measures incrementally by March 28.
We are encouraged by the province's commitment to a cautious and careful reopening in a gradual manner," Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said in a statement Friday.
She was pleased to see that key metrics will be the basis for each stage - starting Monday when Ontario lifts capacity limits in the vast majority of settings where proof of vaccination is required, including restaurants, gyms and casinos.
If all goes well, capacity limits will also be lifted Nov. 15 in higher-risk settings such as nightclubs, strip clubs, event spaces and wedding receptions.
This is a cautious plan that slowly lifts public health measures over time allowing us to monitor impacts on our hospitals and in our communities," Premier Doug Ford said while announcing the road map out of the pandemic Friday. We can't get too comfortable or let our guard down but we're going to be able to begin getting back to the lives we want."
The date to watch will be Jan. 17 when the province decides if its safe to start phasing out vaccine passports.
That will give us an opportunity to review the preceding two months of potential activity within Ontario, it will let us get through the holiday season and analyze if there has been any spread within social settings or any workplace settings to make an informed decision," said Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore. We will be following the data ... We will analyzing it very closely heading into Jan. 17 to make a decision whether we move forward."
The goal is to end all public health and workplace COVID measures - including masking and vaccine passports - by March 28.
Let me reinforce the word cautious," said Ford. I'm going to be super cautious. If we do not see numbers in a stable place, we're just not going to do it."
The plan aims to avoid broad lockdowns in favour of local restrictions where the virus is spreading. Richardson made it clear she won't shy away from acting if needed.
As Hamilton and Ontario reopens, we are closely monitoring the local situation as it relates to COVID-19 and the Delta variant, and the need to introduce any local measures to protect the community and progress we've made," she said.
While Hamilton has the province's seventh-highest COVID rate, the numbers have dropped significantly since the end of August.
Average daily new cases was down to 24 on Oct. 20 compared to 80 on Aug. 31. At the same time, the weekly rate per 100,000 population fell to 28 from 94.
We remain cautiously optimistic about COVID-19 rates in Hamilton," said Richardson.
However, Hamilton also has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the province with just 80 per cent of eligible residents having two COVID shots. The goal is to get to 90 per cent.
Ford said the province is roughly one week away from having 90 per cent of Ontarians vaccinated with one dose, which is one of the main reasons the plan can go ahead.
Exceptional circumstances that could cause a halt to the reopening and a return to public health measures provincewide include the health-care system being at risk of becoming overwhelmed or if a variant that was resistant to the vaccines was found in Ontario.
Moore said the plan is a call to unvaccinated Ontarians to get their shots so the province can fully reopen March 28. The date is also based on an expectation that kids will be able to get immunized soon and booster doses will be done by that time.
By March we hope we've maximized our immunization strategy in Ontario, that we have more Ontarians immunized to the point that this virus doesn't have a host in which it can reproduce," he said. Then we will have to learn how to live with this virus. But it gives us a significant amount of time to build up the immunization."
Hamilton does have ongoing outbreaks in places that will soon see capacity limits lift, although the number of cases is small.
A wedding at Copetown Woods Golf Club on Oct. 9 has seen six attendees infected.
A gym - Lean and Fit Elite in Ancaster - has five staff cases and two clients infected since an outbreak started Oct. 19.
Restaurant Cinnabon in Limeridge Mall had an outbreak declared Oct. 19 after two staff tested positive.
Five of Hamilton's 12 current outbreaks are in schools including Gatestone Elementary Public School in Stoney Creek, Living Hope Christian School on the west Mountain, Orchard Park Secondary School in Stoney Creek, Providence Christian School in Dundas and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Elementary School in east Hamilton.
One outbreak is in a business - Karma Candy Inc. on Emerald Street North, where two staff are infected.
Group home Christian Horizons at 904 West 5th Street has had two staff cases in an outbreak declared Oct. 10.
Two hospital units have outbreaks, with the latest being three staff infected at McMaster Children's Hospital in the 2F Women's Clinic since Oct. 21.
The other is at the Charlton Campus of St. Joseph's Healthcare, where two staff, three patients and one visitor have tested positive on a nephrology unit.
Public health says there have been no outbreaks or COVID infections identified as a result of an unsanctioned fake homecoming party on Oct. 2 that attracted a crowd of about 5,000 to the area of Dalewood Avenue and Westwood Avenue.
Joanna Frketich is a Hamilton-based reporter covering health for The Spectator. Reach her via email: jfrketich@thespec.com