Happy 36th Wedding Anniversary!

 

One more post before the end of the year!

It is our 36th wedding anniversary today. COVID-19 is changing all sorts of plans including the plans we had for today. I am not too disappointed about this change in plans. I am pretty exhausted. I quiet day at home is just the ticket but I could not resist giving you an update....because it's looking brighter. Healthy individuals who have been vaccinated and especially those who have been boosted appear unlikely to develop severe infections requiring hospitalization from Omicron. UK data analyzed by scientists from the Imperial College of London shows that those infected by the Omicron variant are 15-20 percent less likely to go to an emergency room and 40 % less likely to be hospitalized. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/covid-19/report-50-severity-omicron/ The Ontario Science Advisory Table Dashboard is one of my go to for Ontario information. https://covid19-sciencetable.ca/ontario-dashboard/ Take a look at this. December 28, 2021 ( Happy Anniversary) Cases/million- 844.8 Among unvaccinated people 1125.4 Among vaccinated people 994.9 Reduction associated with at least 2 vaccine doses -11% I have been watching this percentage decline dramatically over the last number of weeks as Omicron becomes the dominant strain in the province. What this means is that 2 vaccines only reduces your risk of getting the Omicron variant by 11 percent and because this variant is so transmissible and so widespread, you have a high chance of getting COVID with just 2 vaccine doses. But look at this. COVID-19 Hospital Occupancy/Million- 34 Among unvaccinated people 221.3 Among vaccinated people 17.3 Reduction associated with at least 2 vaccine doses -92.2 % This number has not changed much. What this means is that two vaccines still dramatically reduce your risk for hospitalization in a province where Omicron is not the dominant strain And now this. COVID-19 ICU occupancy/ Million- 12.7 Among unvaccinated people 117.1 Among vaccinated people 3.5 Reduction associated with at least 2 vaccine doses -97 % Two vaccine doses keeps you out of the ICU. And what about boosters? A third dose of vaccine reduces your risk of getting even mild symptomatic COVID-19 caused by Omicron by 75 %. Take home message: fewer people may be ending up in hospital and the ICU with the Omicron variant compared to the delta variant. Vaccines reduce this risk even further. BUT, Omicron is so much more transmissible that those who do end up in the ICU, the frail, the elderly, those with chronic illnesses and the unvaccinated, put the province's health care system at great risk of becoming overwhelmed. 8825 cases in Ontario today. A bit of a downward trend...maybe. But the more we keep these numbers down as the Omicron wave passes, the better off we will be. Get that third dose when it is available to you. Get immunized if you have not started yet and be of good cheer. Things are starting to look up. Anne-Marie Please share. For non-Facebook users, you can find this post here: https://braceletofhope.blogspot.com/ For mental health support here: https://familyserviceguelph.on.ca/ For local assistance with anxiety and depression: www.here4help.ca CMHA WW Website: www.cmhaww.ca Here 24/7 at 1-844-HERE-247 or www.here247.ca. And for post-secondary students, Good2Talk https://good2talk.ca/