Christmas will be much diminished in KFL&A - and then there is Omicron

Jeff Green | Dec 08, 2021

(Update - At a media briefing this afternoon, Dr. Oglaza confirmed that a case of the Omicron variant has been confirmed in KFL&A. He did not provide details about the individual, but said the case first presented itself on November 29th. The provincial guidance for Omicron cases is that any high risk contact of an individual with the Omicron variant will be required to not only be tested immediately but to self-isolate as well, regardless of their vaccination status)

Case rates soaring in Kingston, rising elsewhere in KFL&A 

Back in October of 2020, when Kieran Moore was still the Medical Office of Health for Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington (KFL&A), he decided that the community was well enough positioned to be able to have a COVID safe Halloween.

Over in Prince Edward Hastings, where there was a similar COVID case load, Dr. Oglaza was more cautious, he did not recommend that children go trick or treating.

By the time Halloween 2021 rolled around, it was a couple of weeks into Dr. Oglaza's tenure as Medical Officer of Health in KFL&A, and the situation was different. Trick or treating was on, and even some of the distancing requirements had been relaxed.

Since then, however, the COVID situation in KFL&A has become progressively worse, and as we approach Christmas amid a continuing rise in cases, the chances that the two week old public health order, limiting indoor private gatherings to 10 people, will be relaxed by December 25, are slim, at best.  And the numbers are only getting worse.

The active case load, as of Tuesday, December 7,  less than 3 weeks before Christmas, is the highest it has been during the entire pandemic (389), and hospitalisations (29), people in the Intensive Care Unit (11) and on ventilators (9) are also at their highest levels. As many people have died of COVID over the last 3 weeks (6) in the region, as the rest of the 20-month long pandemic.

Loathe to add any more restrictions, which may not be effective in any event, Oglaza instead doubled down on the core public health messaging on Monday of this week.

“Due in part to the high vaccination rate in our community, we have managed to keep schools and workplaces open; however, now we must prioritize measures to stabilize cases in the region,” he said in a media release.

“Moving forward our key priorities will be immunizing vulnerable populations, especially younger individuals who are not vaccinated; continue contact tracing and case management, particularly in the school setting; strongly recommend active screening in public places and workplaces; and testing for symptoms of COVID-19.”

He then recommended that businesses who can, should provide workers with the option to work at home, and refrain from holding in person Christmas gatherings, He also recommended that KFL&A residents limit visits with others as much as possible.

Most of the public health messaging is based on voluntary efforts of residents.

At a media call last week, Dr. Oglaza said that measures like the limit of 10 people in private settings are difficult to enforce.

“It is not really all about enforcement,” he said, “it is about people recognising that large gatherings, with people who may not be vaccinated, where people are standing and talking in indoor spaces, pose a risk to those attending the gatherings and everyone else as well. These kinds of gatherings are the main driver of the cases we have seen in recent weekd.”

The 7 - day case rate in Kingston, as of Tuesday, was at a record high of 216 per 100,000 people. The second highest case rate in the region is now Greater Napanee, at 78 per 100,000, and the rate in South Frontenac is 66 per 100,000.

There were 4 new South Frontenac cases confirmed over the weekend, and 6 more were confirmed between Monday and Tuesday.

Last week, 3 cases were confirmed at St. Patrick's Catholic School in Harrowsmith. 2 of those cases were still listed as active on the KFLAPH dashboard on Tuesday, and the third has resolved

The vaccination campaign for the newest group to become eligible, 5-11 year old children, has been highly successful thus far. Over 30% percent of the approximately 30,000 newly eligible children had received a first dose of vaccine in the first two weeks of the campaign. KFL&A ranks second in Ontario, behind Ottawa, in the rate of vaccination for 5-11 year old cohort.

The vaccination rates in KFL&A generally continue to inch up. 92.3% of residents who are over 12 have received one dose, and 89.2% who are over 12 are now fully vaccinated.

When the 5-11 year old population is are folded into the overall numbers, the rate of first doses is 87.8% and the second dose rate is 82.6%.

The vaccination rates for those 18-54 continue to lag behind the rate for younger and older residents, at about 88% for one dose, and 84% for two doses. That large age group is also the group with most of the active cases in the region. ■