Thread by @AyishaKurji

Some thoughts about #covid19sk reality, and the recent changes:

1. Testing-with numbers as high as they are, PCR testing for everyone really wasn’t happening. This means we couldn’t rely on case counts even before testing restrictions this week.

BUT….1/

If we can’t offer PCR tests to everyone, we need to make sure we’ve covered all the bases-we can’t stop testing if it’s required for WCB etc. We have done well with access to rapid tests-finding ways to report them would make sense. This is when other data indicators are key. 2/

2. Reporting-knowledge is power.

School case reporting and daily hospital numbers helps us make informed decisions for ourselves and our families. If we know our hospitals are becoming overwhelmed, we can react quickly. 1 week in Covid time is too long to wait for updates. 3/

3. Vaccine mandates-the purpose isn’t just to get people to get vaccinated. It’s also to keep everyone safe. How do employers keep their staff safe? How do customers feel safe? 4/

And while we’re on vaccines, let’s be clear: they DO decrease both virus transmission and severity of infection, especially with a booster dose. It’s not perfect, but it helps. With all the changes coming, now is a great time to get your booster dose: 12-17s can now go! 5/

4. Masking- clearly decreases spread. Maybe not as well as it did with delta and other variants, but it does help.

5. Isolation - COVID won’t stop being infectious in March. Staying home if you’re sick is good sense, COVID or not. Ending mandatory isolation is bonkers. 6/

At some point, we do need to think about how to live with covid, and figure out how to take away these last measures. But now is too early to think about that. 7/

Why? Because it’s not clear yet whether we have truly peaked with hospitalizations. A 2 day decrease isn’t enough to know that we are trending down. And even if we have peaked, it doesn’t mean covid is gone. It’s still there, and our system is still stretched. 8/

We’ve seen before in the pandemic that covid changes on a dime. We don’t know what things will be like in 2 weeks. Whatever plans we make need to be based on data, and we need to be willing to be flexible to respond to that data. 9/

So what do these changes mean for our family?

We will continue to mask, because it’s an easy thing to do to keep ourselves and everyone around us safe. We will decide when to stop based on the data we do have, like hospital numbers and wastewater consistently trending down. 10/

We will do things we consider safe, remembering that everywhere we go indoors without a mask means potential exposure. We will do our best to support local businesses while keeping everyone safe. We will use our rapid tests regularly-grateful to have them! 11/

We will remember that everyone is tired and stressed, including us, and will try to spread joy and happiness in whatever small ways we can. Remember to take care of yourself too!

Note: still processing all of this, so this may not be complete. 12/