Assess your own risk for the holidays, Ottawa's top doc urges

Ottawa’s medical officer of health is urging everyone to evaluate their own health risks and those of the people around them when making holiday plans this year, as respiratory viruses surge.

Dr. Vera Etches told the Ottawa Board of Health on Tuesday that wastewater monitoring is showing levels of COVID-19 are high and holding steady week over week, influenza is very high, but decreasing since last week, and RSV levels are high and decreasing since last week.

She says Ottawa is also starting to see an increase in bacterial infections like invasive streptococcal pneumonia, resembling pre-pandemic levels.

“The levels of respiratory illness circulating in our community are high,” Dr. Etches said. “With this in mind, particularly given the upcoming holiday season, we continue to urge people to use every layer of protection.”

Etches says while it may not be easy to hear, she does expect levels of viral illness to increase again after the holidays.

“I want to speak to parents,” she said. “We know older adults are bearing the brunt of the worst outcomes. We’re still seeing deaths from COVID and when we work with our children to help them be vaccinated and wear masks, when we’re vaccinated we can make a difference for people who are at greatest risk. And it helps our health-care system through this respiratory season.”

Etches is encouraging residents to wear masks in crowded places like shops, malls, grocery stores, airports and holiday concerts.

“It can make a difference when you wear a mask in these situations,” she said.

“And we know we want to gather with friends and family, and we want everyone to be as healthy as possible, to keep our hospitals functioning, to care for families if and when we do need it and this may mean making hard decisions if someone in your household is sick. If you are sick, please stay home.”

Etches is encouraging everyone to get a bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine and a flu shot, if they haven’t already.

The latest data from OPH show more than 320,000 residents, or about 35 per cent of the population 12 and older, has had at least four doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. OPH staff had limited data for flu shot uptake but told the Board of Health that 247,000 doses were administered at pharmacies as of Dec. 14. There were 200,000 doses sent to primary care clinics and OPH’s own clinics have administered 11,000 doses. This was described as comparable to other years in terms of overall uptake.

“Vaccination is the most effective way to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the most serious effects of respiratory illness,” Etches said. “The other layers of protection are to wear a mask in indoor settings, to stay home if you’re experiencing symptoms, to frequently wash your hands and to regularly clean commonly-touched surfaces like door handles and handrails. If you’re hosting a gathering indoors, consider opening the windows, especially if people are eating or drinking.”