Thanksgiving and Halloween dinners are back as Ontario issues COVID-19 holiday tips

Boosters, birds and chocolates.

Ontario has authorized more seniors for the third shot of the COVID-19 vaccine and has issued guidelines for families at Thanksgiving and Halloween dinners, with limits for gatherings staying at 25 people indoors and 100 at fresh air.

Nursing home residents, seniors in other congregational settings, and more people on an “immunocompromised” drug list are eligible for third-dose booster shots, medical director Dr. Kieran Moore said Thursday as he explained the guidelines for turkey dinners and trick-or-treating.

“No one should attend Thanksgiving or other social gatherings if they are sick,” Moore said at a news conference. “Even if people have mild symptoms, stay home and get tested.”

There’s no need to cover your face if everyone in a gathering is vaccinated, he said, although those with underlying health problems or at higher risk of contracting the virus may choose to mask and distance themselves.

“If you meet indoors with people from various households who are not vaccinated or partially vaccinated, or you don’t know … you should wear a face covering and physical distance,” Moore added, noting that the same advice applies to settings. exteriors.

“The fewer people that gather, the lower the risk of transmission. Outdoor meetings are always safer. “

The guidance is dramatically different from last year, when COVID-19 vaccines were not available, the number of cases was increasing in the second wave of the pandemic, and the province recommended not meeting with other households. Almost 82 percent of Ontario residents age 12 and older are now fully vaccinated.

Other tips for this year include opening windows to improve air flow, cleaning high-touch surfaces, and making hand sanitizer available for frequent use.

Moore said the same rules apply to Halloween, with additional recommendations for incorporating face masks into costumes, avoiding crowds of children and parents at the doors, and avoiding chanting or yelling for treats to reduce the chances of aerosol transmission.

Children are also advised not to wear fancy dress masks over their face masks, which could affect their ability to breathe.

Moore also warned of a growing number of wedding-related COVID-19 outbreaks.

Liberal MP John Fraser, a health critic for his party, questioned why the medical director waited until the eve of Thanksgiving weekend to provide guidance, after many families had already invited guests and made plans for the dinner and the trip.

“It’s too late,” Fraser said.

On Wednesday, Toronto’s medical health officer, Dr. Eileen de Villa, advised city residents to only vaccinate guests indoors for Thanksgiving. Outdoor gatherings should be considered when guests include children under the age of 12, who are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, or those whose vaccination status is unknown, he added.

For the third or booster shots, residents of nursing homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, chronic care hospitals, and senior apartment buildings must have passed at least 20 weeks after their second dose.

The expansion into nursing homes comes as 86 percent of nursing home residents, who were authorized to receive the third vaccine weeks ago, have now received boosters to strengthen their immunity against the virus and its highly contagious Delta variant, Long-term care minister Rod Phillips said. .

Third doses are also licensed for people on a list of “drugs that compromise the immune system,” Moore said.

Along with the moderately to severely immunosuppressed, such as some cancer patients, the list of people eligible for booster shots now includes people who are under active tumor or blood chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive therapy and some steroid receptors, among other medications.

Although Moore told a news conference Tuesday that anecdotal evidence of a higher than warranted level of medical exemptions to vaccination warranted a “review,” he departed from that Thursday.

“From my point of view, the system is working,” said Moore, who previously indicated that the rate of exemptions should not be more than five per 100,000 people given the rarity of the conditions that justify them, such as severe allergic reactions to drugs. vaccine ingredients and heart. inflammation.

When asked about the waivers filed by two of Prime Minister Doug Ford’s 70 MPPs, which opposition parties have called “statistically curious,” Moore responded, “I have no concerns at this time.”