Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said last week she would not allow any more face-covering mandates in schools after a court ruling over the government’s decision to lift and block those mandates. Despite the recent increase in respiratory viruses, flu and COVID-19 across Canada, Premier Smith said the coverage is having a “detrimental effect” on children’s mental health. The detrimental effects of coverage on children’s mental health, development and education in the classroom are well understood and we must turn the page on an extremely difficult time for children, along with their parents and teachers. Premiere Alberta Danielle Smith On the other hand, many public health experts in provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia still maintain that covering indoors with large crowds provides vital protection against COVID-19.
What the experts and the provinces say
Ontario’s former head of scientific advice on COVID-19, Dr. Fahad Razak, recently said it’s time to bring back mask mandates as Ontario sees a surge in the new BQ.1 and BQ1.1 Omicron sub-variants in the province. Dr. Razak, an internist at St. Michael’s, also said the health system is under tremendous pressure that is typically seen at the height of a bad flu season. “Personally, I would say the criteria to require something like a mask mandate is clear here,” said Razak, an internist at St. Michael’s. “For anyone who says, ‘Let’s not do this,’ I would ask, ‘What’s the alternative at this point?’ How are we going to maintain the system that has so little capacity, how are we going to keep it going in the winter?” The story continues According to UofT associate professor Dr. Tara Moriarty, The Canadian COVID Risk Index released last Friday shows that traces of COVID in wastewater across Canada have nearly tripled in the past two weeks. Moriarty says this data shows that the number of people in Canada who are infected is currently 18 times higher than the number of people who were infected last year at the same time. “It means that about 1 in 24 to 1 in 34 people in Canada are currently infected,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important not only to wear masks, but also to avoid crowded indoor facilities…for everyone. Your chances of catching COVID are really high right now,” she wrote in her latest tweet. “Also, even if you’re not worried about catching COVID yourself, about half the people in Canada are medically at higher risk from COVID, because of age or underlying health conditions. Or they live with someone who is,” he added. University of Toronto associate professor and specialist in pediatrics and special diseases Anna Banerji agrees that with high cases of respiratory viruses and hospitals being overwhelmed, bringing back masks would be the right course of action. “Yes, definitely yes,” he wrote in an email to Yahoo News Canada. All experts unanimously agree that the mask combined with two-valent booster shots can help reduce cases and relieve pressure on hospitals. The public health advisory on the City of Toronto’s official website also advises that staying up to date on vaccines and using a high-quality, well-fitting mask can reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the flu. “Respiratory Spread Guide” notice sent by the city: We can layer up our protection against COVID-19 and respiratory viruses with a few simple steps:
Stay up-to-date with your vaccinations, including a fall COVID-19 booster and the flu shot, when you’re eligible for the best protection from getting very sick from COVID-19 and the flu. Socialize outdoors whenever possible – outdoors is less dangerous than indoors. Wear a high-quality mask that fits well, especially indoors, and based on the setting and situation. Masks are strongly recommended indoors in public spaces, and especially if you are around people who are at higher risk or have a health condition. Stay home if you are sick or have symptoms, even if they are mild. If you have symptoms, get tested for COVID-19 and treated if you qualify. Wash or disinfect your hands often, etc.
Ontario’s health care system is under tremendous pressure According to the latest reports, emergency rooms across the province had to close for hours due to pressure. Doctors believe the recent spike in COVID-19 and flu admissions has created the “perfect storm” in hospitals—with wait times of up to 20 hours or more. According to the official Health Canada website, more than 21,000 cases of COVID-19 were reported last week across the country. The Canadian Risk Index for COVID-19 also reports that about 7,000 people were admitted to hospitals with COVID in the last week across Canada. The data shows that in an already overburdened system, 12 percent of hospital beds are not available due to patients with COVID-19. Moriarty also pointed out that although we hear that COVID is getting better, the statistics say otherwise. “Last week’s COVID admissions were 6,962. However, the average weekly COVID hospitalizations in Canada since the start of COVID was 3,032. This data clearly shows that there were twice as many COVID admissions this week in Canada than during of the entire outbreak in Canada to date,” he said. “Even if you distinguish between patients admitted who already had COVID (the ‘with’ cases) and patients admitted because of COVID (the ‘from’ cases), we still have a number that is 1.7 times bigger than what we’ve seen before,” he adds. Many ERs report high patient volumes and long wait times, with children’s hospitals in particular reporting high demand. University of Toronto professor and epidemiologist, Dr. David Fishman, recently posted a note sent by McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH) on Twitter. The memo clearly states that inpatient occupancy is approaching 135 percent and that the intensive care and emergency department is facing “extreme challenges.” As a result, MCH is adopting various mitigation measures – effective November 4 – such as reducing the number of pediatric same-day surgical admissions to just one case per day. The hospital is seeking volunteers across all MCH programs to assist teams at the hospital and is considering transferring youth and adolescents to other hospitals under Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). Two days ago, Fisman released another critical UHN note on Twitter that said Toronto General Hospital is on critical care bed alert, meaning the CVICU, CICU and MSICU have reached their total bed capacity. The memo also said the hospital has restricted people to safely keep all intensive care beds open and operating. UHN told its staff to “avoid” accepting admissions from other hospitals requiring a critical bed and to stop sending patients to the emergency department. Recently, officials at CHEO, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, painted a bleak picture of the emergency room as they said the past few months have been the busiest in the hospital’s history. The hospital is operating at excess capacity, with pediatric units at 134 percent capacity, while pediatric intensive care is at 124 percent. The emergency department averages 229 patient visits a day, while it is built for 150, said CHEO President and CEO Alex Munter. Additionally, earlier last week, Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children reported wait times of up to 12 hours due to an unusually high volume of patients. Experts are trying to raise awareness and combat misinformation online With files from The Canadian Press
