Provinces introduce new health policies as hospitals brace for Omicron’s spread

Manitoba is facing a surge in COVID-19 test positives that could overwhelm its healthcare system again, introducing new restrictions to reduce attendance at large-scale events. it was done.

Medical personnel and governments across the country are closely watching how often Omicron infections become more severe. The variants are so contagious that the medical system can be strained if only a small proportion of people infected with COVID-19 need to be hospitalized.

In two states, Ontario and Quebec, admission fees are increasing, with record increases in daily cases during vacations. Boxing Day Canada has surpassed 2 million COVID-19, an important milestone for a relatively small population.

Today, as Omicron continues to escalate, patchwork of testing, tracing, and isolation policies is emerging nationwide. British Columbia, Alberta, and several other states restrict the general public from accessing sensitive lab tests.

Manitoba said on Monday that access to the test depends on the status of vaccination. For example, people who have COVID-19 symptoms but are otherwise healthy vaccinated will be given a quick takeaway test. If it is positive, the person should return to the lab test.

Under the state’s revised regulations, restaurants and other licensed facilities must stop selling alcohol at 10 pm daily and must comply with Manitoba’s new capacity expectations. Meetings for vaccinated individuals and individuals under the age of 12 are limited to a capacity of 50% or 250, whichever is less.

Capacity limits apply to religious services, weddings, entertainment events with tickets, gyms, casinos, indoor and outdoor gatherings, and other places where people interact. The new rules will start on Tuesday. This is only a week after Manitoba’s latest tightening. The state did not adjust the rules for retailers or personal gatherings.

Manitoba, which shipped critically ill patients to other states after an ICU capacity shortage in the early stages of the pandemic, said Omicron variants dominate the state and require restrictions to protect the medical system. I did.

Brent Lusan, director of state public health in Manitoba, emphasized on Monday that sick people must stay home and realized that this can be difficult to do during the holidays. The state is struggling to reach a “significant” number of people with COVID-19 and has shown that they are not complying with quarantine requirements.

“We are calling sick people. They came for the test and tested positive, but no one is at home,” Dr. Russan told reporters on Monday. “I think it’s a difficult time now, but if you’re sick and need to be tested, you need to quarantine until you get results.”

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Meanwhile, on Monday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed the isolation requirements for people with COVID-19 to 5 days for asymptomatic people, and then wore masks around others for 5 days. Previously, the CDC recommended 10 days of quarantine for positive cases.

According to the CDC, according to science, the majority of infections occur 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms and 2-3 days after the onset of symptoms.

Expectations of isolation vary in Canada. For example, people who have been fully vaccinated in British Columbia with a positive COVID-19 test should be isolated from the onset of symptoms for at least 7 days. In Alberta, positive cases should be quarantined for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status.

Experts warn that the official number of cases significantly underestimates the true spread of the virus. This was exacerbated last week when some cities and states asked people with mild symptoms to stop testing to ensure they were fully competent in high-risk cases.

Manitoba has counted 2,154 new COVID-19 cases since Christmas Eve, with a state-wide positive rate of 19%. According to Dr. Roussin, there is a backlog of about 11,500 tests.

BC said it added 6,288 new cases in the last three days. In Ontario, Health Minister Christine Elliott reported a total of 9,418 new cases a day on Monday. Alberta provides preliminary data on how COVID-19 unfolded during Tuesday’s vacation.

Another sign of underestimation is an increase in positive rates. In Quebec, the positive rate for the test processed on 22 December was 15%. For the test processed on December 26th, the positive rate was 25%. From those tests, the state reported 8,231 new confirmed cases on Monday.

Daily hospitalizations are beginning to increase in Quebec and Ontario. Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said on Twitter Monday that 141 more people have been hospitalized for COVID-19 since December 22nd. We have to limit our contacts, “he urged in a message to the Quebécois.

Hospitalizations in Ontario are also accelerating, and data tracking from the Ontario Hospital Association shows a gradual increase in intensive care unit admissions. From an average of 156 7-day moving averages in ICU to an average of 166 on Monday. However, so far, ICU admission is still below the best scenario predicted by modeling from the Ontario COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Board.

Quebec has already delayed the return of high school students to face-to-face classes by a week, but has not changed the return date for young students.

In Ontario, there are no changes to the return to class scheduled for January 3rd. On Monday, a spokesman for Education Minister Steven Lecce did not directly answer the Globe and Mail question about whether his return date in Ontario would change. However, Mr. Lecce’s office directed Globe to comment on December 21st from the Director of Health, Kieran Moore.

Last week, Dr. Moore told reporters that he consulted with experts on whether to delay his return to class, but at that point he didn’t think it was necessary to delay his class.

Most Atlantic states did not report new COVID-19 numbers on Christmas weekends, so many reported Monday’s three-day numbers. They show that the incident is also rising on the East Coast. Newfoundland and Labrador has reported 357 new cases in the last three days. This includes setting up a new daily record with 135 cases recorded on Sunday. The state urged people to reduce their contact and get their booster shots.

New Brunswick has reported 639 new cases in the last three days. On Monday, 35 people were hospitalized, 14 of whom were in the intensive care unit. Starting Monday night, New Brunswick has reduced the personal gathering limit to 10 people per household, and the capacity limit for malls, stores, restaurants and businesses has been reduced to 50%.

Prince Edward Island has reported 156 cases since Friday, Nova Scotia has reported 581 new cases on Monday, and hospital outbreaks in Halifax have affected less than five patients so far. ..

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