COVID-19: Manitoba Needs “Circuit Breaker” Lockout, Critical Care Physicians Say – Winnipeg | The Canadian News

Manitoba’s latest public health orders will be largely ineffective in containing the Omicron COVID-19 variant, and at this point, the best course of action is a temporary “circuit breaker” lockout.

That’s the message from intensive care physicians in Winnipeg, who say the province appears to be betting that the latest variant will have less severe health outcomes.

“If you’re serious about controlling Omicron, basically the only thing you can do right now is turn off the circuit breaker for two weeks and [officials are] I’m not going to seriously consider that until there’s absolute chaos in the hospitals, ”says Dr. Daniel Roberts, an intensive care physician at the Health Sciences Center.

“These restrictions throughout this pandemic in Manitoba have been based largely on political calculations. They have never made much sense in terms of sequencing to try to contain a pandemic. “

The new orders, which went into effect at midnight Tuesday, reduce average capacity to 50 percent or 250 people, whichever is less, in a wide range of public areas.

Liquor sales in licensed establishments must also cease at 10 pm each day.

Dr. Eric Jacobsohn, who is also an intensive care physician in Winnipeg and a professor at the Max Rady College of Medicine, says he and others at the forefront of healthcare see the latest orders as “very, very light” by comparison. with what is necessary.

“Even if the Omicron numbers show that the virus is less virulent, the large number of infected people means that it is estimated that between five and 10 admissions to the ICU (intensive care unit) per day, that is not feasible,” he says. Dr. Jocobsohn.

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“It wasn’t feasible in the third wave, so why gamble instead of making an unpopular decision?”

As unpopular as widespread lockdowns may be, Dr. Jacobsohn says the decision is apolitical and that the alternative could mean increasing ICU capacity at the expense of other areas of the healthcare system.

“Wouldn’t it be wise to say, ‘Based on the history we’ve had here in recent months, the wisest thing to do is to go back and actually cut back for a few weeks until we know what the exact number of ICU patients are going to be. ? “Says Dr. Jacobsohn.

Responding to a reporter’s question about why health orders are not stricter, Manitoba’s director of public health, Dr. Brent Roussin, said Monday that they are trying to provide a “balanced answer.”

“We have limits on a lot of the riskier activities, and then remember, earlier this month we put very significant restrictions before the big rally in Omicron, so we are already adding restrictions in a restricted province here. So we already have many layers of protection, ”said Dr. Roussin.

But Dr. Roberts and Dr. Jacobsohn agree that the dramatic testing delay, which Dr. Roussin said had risen to about 11,500 samples, along with reduced contact tracing and an increasing number of daily cases. exponential, means that stricter actions are needed.

“If the intention is to slow the progression of the virus, if you can’t contain outbreaks, if you don’t have the testability … the only thing you can do is reduce the chances of person-to-person transmission,” says Dr. Roberts.

“And that basically means staying home, closing deals, going back to curbside pickup, etc.”

In the absence of an official lockdown, Dr. Roberts urged people to do everything possible to limit interactions with others.

“I would not go out to the stores. I would order my groceries online or pick up curbside, ”says Dr. Roberts.

“This is a very contagious strain, and if you think you are safe because you are twice vaccinated, you should think again. If you received your second dose between mid-January and mid-July, your immunity is likely 50 to 60 percent lowered. “

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