With the province opening up indoor dining to more people, I've decided to go into the restaurant business. Ventilators for every patron. Come for the steak, stay for our in-house ICU team!
But seriously, going out to a crowded restaurant is a really bad idea. Even if the government allows something doesn't mean it's wise to do it. Order lots of take-out to support businesses, but please, don't expose yourself right when vaccinations are kicking into high gear.
My colleagues and I are seeing many, many younger people with severe Covid, down to their 30s. These variants are a different beast, and even if you're young it may not spare you and loved ones from a lot of grief. What was safe to do before is simply not so anymore.
We should consider #oneshot vaccinating as many people as quickly as possible, and that means delaying a second dose of the vaccine. We have enough doses coming in by the end of June, that would cover nearly the entire adult population. Why? We are ignoring two thing:
Firstly, there is natural fatigue with Covid measures. I can feel it talking to patients. Better weather is coming, the euphoria around vaccination drives is palpable, and people will let their guard down. It’s only natural, but contagious variants will rip through the public
Secondly, now that we’re quickly vaccinating elders at risk, deaths will become rarer, but we will be ignoring one very important factor - disability. ‘Long Covid syndrome’ can cause issues long after acute infection. And it can wreak havoc: pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/featur…
Quebec is seeing school cases increase exponentially about 1 month after opening schools. They have limited capacity to test for variants, but this pattern is very similar to what we saw in the UK, Ireland and others with the B117 variant.
Sadly so much could have been done to make schools safer, but Quebec did absolutely nothing.
They needed to:
- improve ventilation
- install HEPA filters
- mask everyone from JK
- create small class sizes
- use rapid testing
And of course, the South African and Brazilian variants, along with the UK variant, are on there way to becoming fully established here. No surprise given the volume of flights still coming in and out.
Happy to see more support for rapid testing, now finally being endorsed by prominent experts in Canada. However, this should have happened 6 months ago when their value was first recognized by @michaelmina_lab
There is a global supply crunch for the most accurate tests, and we will need tens of millions of them to really be effective. It takes months to spool up a production line; we could have done so, and easily tested our way out of this lockdown. But we didn't.
The same reticence slowed adoption of mask laws in the summer, and now is slowing recognition of the airborne nature of Covid-19. Is it inertia? Listening to the wrong experts? A culture of just following what America does? Would love to hear any other ideas.
The new updates in Ontario seem grim, and a new harsher lockdown is coming, but here's a few things I think can help get us bck on track. Many of my colleagues are either in despair or resigned to a brutal Spring in the hospitals, but it doesn't have to be this way...
1) Rapid testing strips are sitting by the millions on shelves. They are not being released to municipalities to use in hot spots. I spoke with one mayor who needs them STAT. Other countries have shown the way, and more tests are available now:
2) Several new therapies have been developed, including monoclonal antibodies like Bamlanivimab and Regeneron, which can be used on older, at-risk populations, potentially averting prolonged ICU admissions and death. These give passive immunity. One possible criteria:
Several Toronto area hospitals are closing their pediatric wards and converting to treat adult Covid patients. All kids needing admission will go downtown to @sickkids. And just in time for schools to open. If I were you, and if you have the option, keep your kids at home...
... and we do need to make sure families not in privileged positions have the means to take care of their kids as well.
Apologies, won’t be able to answer questions here as I’m working in full Ppe all day. Media can email info@mask4canada.org and we’ll someone to chat with you