Local health officials urge province to strengthen COVID-19 rules
'I think we're at the point now we've got to pull out all the plugs'
Ottawa-area health officials say the province's latest efforts to curb the spread of Omicron across Ontario don't go far enough.
Ontario has announced it's accelerating its COVID-19 booster shot rollout, with everyone 18 or older eligible to book their third vaccine dose Monday.
The province is also tightening capacity limits for venues that would normally hold 1,000 people or more to 50 per cent.
Premier Doug Ford told reporters Wednesday that vaccines are "the best defence" against the rapidly growing number of cases of the Omicron variant in Ontario.
"Locking ourselves down out of this isn't the solution," he said.
However, some doctors and public health units disagree, saying further restrictions would go much further in curbing the rate of infection in the province.
"Frankly I was disappointed. We really need to have some more restrictions," said Dr. Robert Cushman, acting medical officer of health for the Renfrew County and District Health Unit.
The health unit currently has dozens of active COVID-19 cases.
"We're experiencing the worst weeks and past months that we've ever had in Renfrew County, and we're only beginning to see Omicron," Cushman said.
Capacity limits for large venues should already have been implemented, Cushman said, while limits for indoor dining and personal gatherings should return.
Many health units will be imposing their own public health measures in the days ahead, he added.
Cushman also raised concerns about the pressure placed on regional health units and their ability to meet demand for the accelerated vaccine eligibility.
"It's almost giving the public a false sense of hope that they can get vaccinated within the next two weeks," he said.
Hospitals could be overwhelmed
Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist at the University of Ottawa, said expanding booster dose eligibility is a good step, but also thinks large entertainment venues should be closed completely.
"I think we're at the point now [where] we've got to pull out all the plugs," Deonandan said. "I don't think people understand just how serious the threat is."
Even if the highly contagious Omicron delivers a milder infection, Deonandan said the health-care system could easily be overwhelmed if just a small fraction of those who do get sick end up in hospital.
"We have to protect that — not at all costs, but many costs," Deonandan said, with those costs likely including temporary closures of theatres, music venues and sports stadiums.
Earlier in the week, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit's top official, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, urged the province to consider "immediate reinstatement" of workplace capacity restrictions and indoor and outdoor gathering limits in a letter addressed to Ontario's health minister.
Ottawa Public Health did not respond to CBC's request for comment. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches and Mayor Jim Watson are expected to make an announcement Thursday afternoon.
