It could have been far worse but it shouldn’t have happened at all. Instead of good memories of #wethenorth day it was terrifying and I will only remember my son screaming and saying please can we never go to a parade again. 2/3
With the news of TPH suspending contact tracing, combined with ballooning turn around time for testing and widespread community transmission, we are in big trouble.
We need everyone’s help to keep each other safe.
Three important points/reminders: /1
1) Limit your contacts. Many people we called this week with COVID-19 were surprised to hear the result and had no idea where they were exposed. This has changed from early September. In Toronto, people of all ages and in all parts of the city are at risk. /2
1/ I support a full time return to school but we need to do this safely and responsibly.
Ontario’s plan (and that of many other provinces) is not responsible and in particular it puts the most vulnerable members of society at risk of #COVID19.
2/ We know COVID disproportionately affects low-income, racialized residents & this back to school plan puts these communities directly at risk.
TPH data shows 51% of cases live in low-income households & 83% of cases id'd as racialized toronto.ca/news/toronto-p…
3/ Specifically this plan calls for no restrictions on class sizes for elementary. Pre-COVID class sizes make it impossible to physically distance w/in classrooms & for younger kids it will be nearly impossible to physically distance, monitor symptoms & continuously wear masks
Happy we are opening up testing and looking forward to hearing more details about the plan to guide testing and maximize benefit. Testing needs to be coupled with key communication about the limits of a single test and improvement in contact tracing. 1/
Very important to remember that a Negative Swab (PCR test) today does not mean you haven’t been exposed to #COVID19 and you could still develop it tomorrow. It also doesn’t tell you if you have had it in the past. It is only a snapshot at that specific time of the test. 2/
Unfortunately the test isn’t perfect. Get tested but if negative and you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 you must still self isolate. And if you had an exposure to COVID-19 or a household contact w/ COVID-19 even if your test is negative you still need to self-isolate. 3/
THREAD:
My last #COVID19 tweet rant was a few weeks ago. A lot of work has been done but we are still falling short & dealing w/ new issues on a daily basis. Time to prepare is running out. Critical issues at present are: 1) Testing Capacity; 2) PPE; 3) Case definition; 4) LTC 1/
1) Testing Capacity - ideally we would be testing everyone with symptoms to get an accurate picture of just how widespread #COVID19 is now. Unfortunately with limited testing because of swab & reagent shortages/lab capacity this is not possible. 2/
On an individual level telling someone they definitely have COVID19 vs they may have it likely modifies behaviour. Hopefully everyone w/ symptoms stays home but confirming infection may improve isolation *especially* in those w/ mild symptoms. 3/
THREAD:
In Canada to date we have only seen travel-related #COVID19 cases. This will soon change.
China's containment attempts gave us time. We cannot squander this by being complacent. The time to increase funding, improve communication and prepare is now. 1/
IPAC teams have been preparing for weeks, now
We URGENTLY need action from the Ontario & Canadian government to ensure all of us on the front lines can keep health care workers (HCWs) and patients safe.
The window to prepare is closing and these things need to happen now: 2/
1) Rational Recommendations for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Thankfully @CPHO_Canada updated guidelines on Feb 28 recommending contact and droplet precautions with the addition of N95 when performing AGMPs canada.ca/en/public-heal… 3/