The New Year!

 How is everyone doing out there?

The Omicron wave is upon us. One week to go in the holiday season.

The province reported 9,826 new cases on Sunday and a record 10,412 new cases on Saturday with more than 9400 cases reported today. This is likely a vast underestimate of the actual number of new cases out there. A vast underestimate. Interpret these numbers with caution. Each of us may now know of many people in our social circles who have or have had COVID. Assume that if you have symptoms of a head cold that it is COVID until proven otherwise and if you cannot access a PCR test isolate for days from the start of your symptoms. Here is a review of the symptoms caused by the Omicron variant:

Most common-

Cough

Fatigue

Congestion

Runny nose

Less common-

Fever

Loss of sense of smell

Loss of appetite

Brain fog

Demands for diagnostic testing continue to outstrip the available supply. Accessing DNA PCR nasopharyngeal testing ( the most accurate form of testing for COVID-19 and the gold standard) is very difficult as testing centres continue to be overwhelmed. Book an appointment if you think you need one. It may take a week but a negative test is very reassuring. Rapid antigen test kits are also tough to find. I did one of these a couple of days ago and there are quite a few steps to follow. Take your time when doing these tests and follow the instructions carefully. The swab needs to be twirled in the front of your nose and it should sting a bit as you do this. It is more accurate if you dig a little, not to the point of damaging tissue but it should sting. Remember that the rapid antigen test is most accurate in symptomatic people who have a high likelihood of having COVID-19. The test is better at picking up proteins from the virus if the virus is actually there. Don't rely on a negative test if you are symptom free.

A higher number of young adults aged 20-39 are becoming infected. This age group accounted for 47 per cent of today's cases. People aged 40 to 59 make up 25 per cent of the new cases and children make up 20 per cent.

Age groups that are socializing more and naturally have more social contacts are more likely to have the Omicron variant transmitted to them. By far most young people who are double or triple vaccinated are developing mild symptoms from this variant but they can transmit to the more frail and vulnerable. It is these folks and the unvaccinated that are ending up in the ICU.

This is a story about a very small sample size. Of the three hundred people we vaccinated at my office in the week leading up the Christmas, five, that I know of, tested positive in the days following their third dose. All were in their twenties and early thirties and all had mild or no symptoms. I spoke to one 30 year old patient who was not vaccinated and he was in big trouble with severe shortness of breath. If our healthcare system was fully functioning, he would have been admitted for observation at least but instead, he could barely make it out of his room without feeling like he had just run a marathon ( his words). His symptoms are so severe that I have no doubt that he will be left with longterm symptoms.

The number of people in hospital with COVID 19 remains small with 176 in the ICU up from 164 last week; a slow but steady increase that will become significant as we move into January.

46,000 vaccines were administered yesterday. That's a lot of healthcare workers that took time out of their Christmas traditions to vaccinate. THANK YOU!

These are very hopeful numbers: 90.7% of Ontarians 12+ have had one dose and 88.0% have had two doses. I am simply amazed by that. Amazed. Well done Ontario. Double vaccinated people are 70 % less likely to end up with serious symptoms.

Please praise and support Ontario's pharmacists. They have given a vast number of vaccines and continue to work diligently to provide PCR and rapid antigen tests both of which are now in short supply.

Almost three million people in Ontario have received a third dose of vaccine. These folks are 80 to 90 % less likely to develop serious illness from the Omicron variant. Book an appointment for a third dose through your local public health department as soon as you can.

I am going under for the next few days. I have promised myself no to utter the words COVID or Omicron. A brief reprieve.

Be safe this week. I remember when my kids were in their teens. As they left the house for this or that I would say, "Make good choices". We will navigate the Omicron storm if we all make good choices.

Happy New Year!

Anne-Marie

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