OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor. This is a letter to the community from Jeff Pitcher, a local doctor, on the importance of continuing to take precautions over the long weekend. Send your letter to [email protected]
*************************
It’s the long weekend - the kickoff to summer!
This lockdown has been the hardest for people with the tightest restrictions.
As hard as it has been, it has been a success. The lockdown started April 3 and we saw the results of that two weeks later. We peaked April 16 with 4,812 new cases per day and the numbers have been slowly dropping since then.
Why have the number of active cases been dropping slowly? How do people keep getting infected after 48 days of lockdown? I think its because people have let their guard down.
People are tired of the constant sacrifices that we’ve been asked to make. I have talked to patients that have COVID-19 and they all talk about situations where they went to visit their family member or friend thinking that they couldn’t have COVID-19 because they don’t go anywhere and have been in isolation.
Then the day after it is discovered that they have a sore throat or cough etc...They test positive for COVID-19 and everyone they had contact with has to go into isolation for 14 days. In addition, workplace outbreaks continue to happen. Perhaps this is from lack of masks, distancing or eating on lunch breaks together?
The good news is that over 48 per cent of eligible people in Ontario have been vaccinated against COVID-19. This makes a huge difference and if we can get our fully vaccinated numbers above the 75 per cent mark it is thought that we will have some herd immunity.
Being vaccinated doesn’t mean that you can’t get COVID-19. You can. However, the antibodies you have from the vaccine should keep you from getting very sick with the illness.
In fact, I have talked with someone that had both doses and was going for a procedure at the hospital and tested positive for the virus despite being asymptomatic. Although the vaccine should keep you from becoming infectious, you can still theoretically spread the virus even once you are vaccinated. (Although it is less likely).
Protect yourself even if you have had the vaccine and continue to wear your mask, distance and follow public health guidelines.
Please follow the guidelines this long weekend. Your local small businesses beg you to. I know it is hard.
Some people have told me they are getting together with their family and friends at their cottages. You are taking a great risk doing this and the lockdown will be prolonged if we see a surge in cases over the next two weeks after this weekend. A normal summer is in jeopardy if we don’t make the right choices this weekend.
If you decide to get together with your family or friends, (And I don’t recommend it!), please, please, please wear your mask at all times and distance six feet. Do it outside. Don’t eat together (I’ve seen cases of COVID-19 from eating a meal together even when distanced).
Again, I don’t recommend getting together with anyone outside of your household this weekend.
We have lots of vaccine coming now and anyone over the age of 18 will soon be allowed to get vaccinated and I am hopeful by the end of the summer anyone over the age of 12 can get vaccinated. This fall/winter I expect the vaccine to approved for any child aged 2 and up.
The government is hopeful that this will be the final lockdown because of vaccines. I think that is possible if you wear your mask and continue distancing.
Have a great long weekend everyone. Stay safe!
May the warmth of the sun give you hope for some normalcy this summer.
Jeff Pitcher
Orillia
*************************
