Greetings to all of the folk living along the shores of Stuart Lake from Yekooche to Binche and the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako Area ‘C’, from the Council and Staff of the District of Fort St James.
Well. the Sixth Wave of COVID-19 is definitely with us, from coast to coast in Canada:
Looking ahead, will there be a new variant this summer, or will it wait for the flu season. Will it just be milder than Omicron, will it be more infectious? Or will it be both more infectious and more deadly? Will those of us who have been immunized and/or survived infection so far be immune to this new variant? No expert in virology and epidemiology is prepared to give a definitive answer to these questions. Most hope (as do we all) that new variants will be less virulent and that the pandemic may just fade away, but some are still apprehensive about the emergence of a new variant which will have us all back in pandemic mode.
The other day, while I was driving down to Vanderhoof, I listened on CBC Radio to an interview of the Medical Officer of Health from Peterborough, ON. He voiced concerns over the decrease in preventative measures (mask wearing and social distancing) amongst his fellow citizens, and reported that Peterborough, in which live a higher proportion of seniors than the provincial average, there had already been more hospital admissions and deaths related to the Omicron variants than there were in the earlier waves of the pandemic. Many of these infections have been traced to large gatherings of unmasked individuals, sitting in close proximity to each other.
Closer to home, the recent World Curling Championships held in Prince George attracted large crowds of spectators and once again, large numbers of unmasked individuals developed symptoms and later found themselves to be infected with COVID-19, including at least 10 curling fans from the Fort St James area (most of whom were vaccinated, I understand). I needed to go into quarantine myself two weeks ago, most probably picking up an infection while attending a meeting with people some of whom had been spectators at the Curling Champs!
Health Officials are telling Canadians to estimate their own sense of risk, and decide for themselves whether to wear a mask, maintain social distancing etc., but at the same time they are reducing the amount of data available, releasing numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths weekly, instead of two or three times per week as previously, apart from in Newfoundland, Ontario and Quebec (which continue to report daily data). Overall, testing across Canada has decreased. We now do less COVID-19 testing (1.46 tests per thousand people) than do other wealthy countries (Greece, Italy, UK, France and South Korea all test about three times as many people as we do). As a result, the numbers of new positive cases recorded are obviously considerably less than the actual number of new cases in the country. Many people who may be infected and have no (or mild symptoms) have not undergone testing at an official testing site, and have been advised to isolate themselves, testing at home if their symptoms worsen, and these positive cases do not appear in the official numbers. This lack of data and clear direction makes it difficult for one to know what is best for one’s own safety.
One of the issues arising in the aftermath of the relaxation of mask mandates and compulsory vaccination certificates, has been the negative peer pressure imposed on those individuals who choose to continue to wear masks when out shopping etc. It appears that many of those who hold anti-vaccination and anti-mask views are not content to allow others the freedom of choice to continue to wear masks in public and to get vaccinated. When in Vanderhoof last week, I was walking from my truck towards the doors of the supermarket, wearing a mask, as was my choice, when a stranger who had been smoking (at an appropriate distance from the entrance), walked towards me, asking me, somewhat aggressively: "Hey! Why are you wearing a mask?”
I replied: “Because I have been coughing and sneezing and I don't want to pass an infection on to you! You’re welcome, by the way!”
Please go about your day being considerate of others and allowing everyone with whom you interact to be free to wear a mask, maintain social distancing and remain in their comfort zone. If you choose not to wear a mask, irrespective of your reason for this choice, please maintain an acceptable distance from others, whether they are masked or not. Please stay safe, everybody.
Dr. Paul Stent (On behalf of the Council and Staff of the District of Fort St James).