Recommendations this week are still cautious, even for regions where the forecast is currently ELEVATED or HIGH.
Why? Because @INSPQ survey of RAT/PCR+ people for week of Feb 5 found 69% increase compared to week before. It's often the first indicator to go up at start of surges
@INSPQ Data for other indicators that go into our forecast, such as test positivity rates, waste water are roughly 2 weeks behind the forecast date.
We're not seeing forecast scores shoot up yet, although curves are slowing/bending back up for multiple regions.
So, caution advised.
Canadian COVID Forecast Feb 12-18, 2023
CANADA
VERY HIGH
About 1 in every 47 people is infected.
HOW TO HELP:
Mask, get your booster, avoid non-essential indoor public places, social gatherings.
Higher risk: also avoid outdoor social gatherings.
HOW TO HELP:
Mask, get your booster, avoid non-essential indoor public places, social gatherings.
Higher risk: also avoid outdoor social gatherings.
Bloody Twitter. Keeps prompting me to save or discard tweets when I want to send them. It's possible there may be some service interruptions on this thread, folks.
You'll hear anguished cries from the direction of Ontario.
For those who often wonder why the COVID Forecast for QC goes up and down faster than for many regions (and doesn't get stuck at the highest points for as long).
Part of it is reporting--QC reporting is faster and more complete than most Canadian regions, and there's not as much of a problem with severe outcomes trickling in for weeks/months after they've happened.
But also, QC and the Prairie provinces too seem to have had a better go of Omicron than provinces that likely had experienced fewer severe outcomes and infections pre-Omicron.
The other thing that's important to know about the Prairie provinces and QC is that reporting of hospitalization and ICU admissions is pretty decent in all of these provinces. We don't see as much of the prolonged, dragged out reporting that we see in Atlantic Canada and Ontario.
BC hospital/ICU admission reporting is pretty decent too, at least compared to ON and Atlantic Canada. BC death reporting has really improved in the last year or so, but it's still a bit protracted, which may contribute to BC COVID forecast scores stalling at high points.
We also know from @COVIDimmunityTF seroprevalence data that as of early Dec, BC, ON and Atlantic provinces still had the lowest % the total population infected at least once.
So it's likely there's a bit more tinder (and more expected severe outcomes) in these provinces.
#CovidIsAirborne #CovidIsntOver #MaskUp #YallMasking #CleanTheAir #CovidCautious
Holiday Dance Night
Risk Scenario Estimator Based on Canadian Forecast
The full thread is also available on the C-19 website, starting on page 8, for easier reading.
Note: Forecast data will be posted on the weekend, those pages on the website have not been updated.
Holiday Dance Night
Nanny and her diabetic teen granddaughter are a high risk household. Because they are vulnerable, they have to miss inside family gatherings much more than they’d like in order to protect themselves . They both would love to celebrate with the rest of their friends and family on New Years Eve at the community Holiday Dance Night.
But is there any way to make it safe enough for them?
Many of us know, live with, or are vulnerable. We have a lot of people in our communities who are immune compromised, immune suppressed, or have long COVID. People who have to be extra careful about infections. It’s a lonely journey to keep safe these days, often having to stay away from events with crowds.
So, just how risky are those community gatherings?
There’s a Dance Night at the high school gym coming up. About 60 folks dancing to tunes for a couple hours, it would be so much fun to join in.
The Data Card, “Family Holiday Dinner - Before”, shows how wise it is for everyone to mask while visiting inside.
We looked at a group of 10 people, you’re one of them, gathering for a 3 hour visit. People are chatting, but it’s mostly a quiet group enjoying each other’s company.
The scenario uses an average size dining room, 16 x 32. The airflow is well mixed among this and the other rooms and the outside doors are closed.
What can you do?
What can you do? Open the windows.
What can you do?
You can make your event even more safe by providing rapid tests beforehand and N95 masks as people arrive. This lets everyone know that you care about their health.
What else can you do?
Set up an Outside Food Zone. ™
If the weather is, ahem, wintery, and you have the resources, get a fire pit going.
Explore other ways to warm the space, maybe candles, those amazing patio heaters, or a tether ball to kick to warm everyone up. Don’t forget to provide gloves and blankets too.
Create an inviting space for people to bring their food out, unmask, safely eat at a distance from the crowd. When they’re ready they can join the folks inside again knowing that they are helping to keep everyone safe.
The “Family Holiday Dinner - Before” Card shows the maximum risk people that take on. We’re using the safest estimate for one-off events that often have visitors from away, may include a super spreader, and carry higher potential risks.
Your most vulnerable people will want to use these estimates since, for us, it’s best to assess risk by assuming the worst.