Unanswered questions

Jeff Green | Apr 13, 2022

Buried in some of changes in the Ontario COVID response that were announced by Ontario's Chief Medical Officer Kieran Moore, on Monday afternoon (May 11), was a side comment he made that Public Health estimates that over 5.3 million Ontarians, over 1/3 of the population, have likely contracted COVID since the Omicron variant has taken hold. And with the more virulent Omicron BA.2 variant quickly becoming the dominant strain in the province, Dr. Moore said that we can expect very high levels of infection to persist into mid-May when the 6th COVID wave is expected to crest.

Moore also said that the latest wave is no surprise to public health, coming as it did after most of the restrictions that have been in place throughout most of the pandemic, including distancing and masking rules in indoor spaces, were removed a month ago.

When he last spoke in public, in early March, Dr. Moore answered a question about masking by saying that personally, he “would wear a mask if he was going to the Eaton Centre or Costco, but he did go so far as to recommend, as the Chief Medical Officer, that everyone should wear a mask in such a setting.

By Monday this week, his advice had changed.

He said that wearing a well fitting, triple layer mask, in public indoor settings, is recommended for everyone, but he would not use his powers to enforce it, nor ask the province to do so at this time.

He did indicate that mask mandates in high-risk settings, which are slated to be lifted on April 27, will likely be extended.

Capacity limits and distancing rules in indoor settings, are no longer up for discussion, it would seem

Locally in KFL&A, Dr. Oglaza reiterated, two weeks ago, that masking in indoor settings provides a measure of protection to both the mask wearer and anyone else they come in contact with, making the choice, to wear a mask, a community as well as a personal safety measure.

Dr. Moore stressed that vaccination is what is making it possible for Ontarians to carry on without restrictions even though we are in the midst of the most contagious period in the two- year course of the pandemic.

When asked about skyrocketing rates in his old jurisdiction of Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington, he said that the low rate of hospitalisation in the region is a testament to the fact that the high vaccination rate is providing protection.

Yet, Renate Ilse, the Chief Operating Officer at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, told the Whig Standard last week that staffing shortages resulting from burnout and high rates of COVID infections among hospital staff, are having an impact on the ability of the hospital be able to address the backlog in surgeries.

“The provincial reopening plan from Ministry of Health suggests that we should be aiming for 90 per cent capacity right now [in surgeries], but we struggle to meet that, and some days we don’t make it, particularly on the weekend, where we really do only the most urgent work because a lot of times we just don’t have the staff,” she told the Whig Standard almost two weeks ago.

Deb Lefebvre, a board member with the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, was more blunt: “From where I’m standing, and from what I’m hearing, we’re drowning. When you have an ICU manager stating, ‘We’re down to 50 per cent nursing staff,’ what more indicators do we need,” she told the Whig Standard.

Even though Dr. Moore would not be drawn into questions about re-introducing mask mandates on Monday, Public Health Ontario, the agency he heads, said the following in a published report that came out on Friday, April 8: “Masking with high-quality masks, (i.e., good fit and filtration) at a population level, is a public health measure that can be effective at reducing transmission, while enabling community settings and activities to continue functioning. This can include re-implementing universal indoor masking in public settings”.

The mixed messages from Public Health are troubling.

Dr. Moore lifted the mask mandate in March and said that continuing to wear masks was a personal decision for people to make. He said on Monday that the massive increase in infection was something he expected. So, what has changed between then and now? Why is mask wearing not a strong recommendation and if it is so important, why not enforce it when his own agency is saying that would be an “effective public health measure”?

Dr. Moore was renowned for knowing, for 'seeing around corners', when he was the Medical Officer of Health in KFL&A. He sent inspectors into long term care homes before the first case of COVID was confirmed in Canada. He imposed a mask mandate, on the pretext of a response to an isolated outbreak at a nail salon, before the province did so. He had a clear, unambiguous message and he delivered it continuously for 14 months.

I find it hard to believe that he has changed, so it must be that his circumstances have changed, because his messaging is no longer clear and concise.

This waffling on masking has damaged the reputation of Public Health among those of us who have depended on their advice for the last two years, and it raises the possibility that in Ontario, Public Health is compromised by politics right now.

That could, but does not necessarily, come from overt political interference from a government that is in pre-election mode.

Public Health is free to pursue its own course, but governments can change its funding, its terms of reference, and the Chief Medical Officer, whenever it wants to, without explanation.

At least now, as far as masking is concerned, we know what to do.

For those of us who oppose vaccine and masking mandates in principle, the way is clear. Masking is not being forced upon us, and neither is vaccination, so those people are going to do neither, and proceed as if there is no pandemic.

For those of us who are inclined differently, the way is clear as well.

Masking indoors will continue, and attending indoor public events where distancing, and even masking, is impractical, cans be put off until Victoria Day weekend. For family dinners over the Easter weekend, having everyone who is planning to attend take a Rapid Antigen test the day before would be a reasonable measure.