Thread by @BogochIsaac

1. ~80% of eligible Canadians have received a 1st dose of a #COVID19 vaccine & 2nd doses coming in fast. Nice!

2. This still leaves millions unvaccinated.

3. Delta (& all COVID) is +++ contagious, so no surprises when non-vax people get infected as measures lift (eg Europe).
👇

4. While #COVID19 vaccines work extraordinarily well, there are enough unvaccinated folks who could get sick & require medical care.

5. Even if we see lower overall COVID-related healthcare usage due to significant vaccine uptake, we can't ignore pressure on healthcare system.👇

6. Think about healthcare capacity in Canada. Ontario had to essentially shut down to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system with ~600 patients admitted to ICUs with COVID-related illness. We ended up with 920.

7. This is in a province of ~14.5 million. That's a problem.

8. Also we *may* have more of a flu season/respiratory virus season this year due to increased travel & lifting of public health measures...that adds predictable pressure to healthcare system every winter.

9. Now add to this expected COVID pressures...whatever that may be.

10. Basically we should not be surprised if Canadian healthcare systems are stretched this winter.

*We can anticipate & plan for this.*

👇👇

11. How to prepare?

-Smart policy to create safer indoor spaces where people congregate (e.g. schools, work)

-Lower barriers to #COVID19 & influenza vaccines (language, mobility, etc)

-Address vaccine hesitancy with empathy & data

-Strategies to combat misinformation

-Etc.

Addendum: (Twitter does not allow for a ton of nuance/detail)

While vaccines are extremely effective, they are not perfect & we will sadly see some breakthrough infections who get sick.

Still, it's important to recognize proportions/denominators👇

https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1412226732149534721?s=20