Ontario studies province-wide measures to stop Omicron

Ontario is considering new measures across the province to stop the spread of the supercontagious Omicron variant of COVID-19, says the province’s chief medical officer, Dr. Kieran Moore.

It’s time for “a more consistent approach” now that Omicron is rapidly replacing the Delta strain and hitting parts of the province hard, sometimes forcing localized restrictions.

“Omicron is becoming a game changer … Omicron is spreading among fully vaccinated people,” Moore said at a news conference Tuesday. “It is new to all regions of Ontario … it is a threat.”

His lips were pursed over his recommendations. Sources said Prime Minister Doug Ford’s cabinet will meet Wednesday to discuss a plan to increase delivery of boosters while other measures are developed for consideration in the coming days.

A major concern is that while Omicron may cause less severe illness than Delta, increasing numbers of infected people could still overwhelm the health care system, Moore said, noting that every person infected with Omicron infects from four to eight times more people than those with Delta.

Hospital admissions increased 13 percent in the last week, although they remain within capacity and there has been no increase in admissions to intensive care units.

Moore urged people who undergo cancer treatment, have weakened immune systems or other medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to take precautions, such as receiving food and medicine and limiting their contacts.

“Now is not the time to go to mass meetings.”

The general population should “stick to the basics” such as vaccination, reinforcements, wearing the proper mask from the nose to under the chin, distancing and hand washing, as well as limiting contacts.

For Christmas and other holiday gatherings, “the smaller the better,” Moore added.

Opposition parties and doctors working outside of government have been urging Ford to take action for days and have raised concerns about places like packed sports arenas where masking is more informal than public health authorities would like.

“Nobody wants their loved ones to get sick, nobody wants another closure, and nobody wants hospitals to be overwhelmed,” said Sara Singh, deputy leader of the NDP. “But we have to act now to prevent those things; experts have made it clear that we are running out of time quickly.”