THUNDER BAY – Despite some dire warnings about an Omicron-driven COVID-19 surge, Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski says he’s reassured by the experience with the variant in South Africa, where it was first detected.
“If you look at South Africa, where they had a really large outbreak, Omicron became the dominant strain, and they did not find that the hospitals were overflowing, that there weren’t enough ventilators, that there wasn’t enough oxygen, [as] was certainly the case with Delta,” Powlowski said.
Early data from South Africa, which saw cases skyrocket to unprecedented levels, has shown hospital admissions staying lower there during its Omicron surge than during previous waves of the virus.
Preliminary findings there and around the world have seemingly confirmed Omicron is able to partially evade immune response from both previous infection and vaccination, but researchers warn it’s too early to say with certainty just how severe the new variant is.
Public health experts have also warned the experience in South Africa will not necessarily prove universal, with hospitalizations rising in places like Great Britain.
Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table projected the province would need measures to cut social contacts in half to avoid threatening hospital and ICU capacity in the new year.
The province reported 3,453 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, continuing an upward trend in the seven-day average.
There were 412 people in hospital with COVID-19, up 128 from Monday, with 165 of those in intensive care units (ICUs), up by one. The province has suggested it can accommodate up to 300 COVID-19 patients in ICU before impacting the health system, at which point some less urgent surgeries would be affected.
The province saw around 900 COVID-19 patients in ICU during its third wave peak.
Powlowski, who has practiced as a doctor for nearly 35 years, including in Africa, said he understood the frustration felt by those who believed the country was approaching the end of the pandemic.
He urged citizens to take advantage of COVID-19 booster shots, calling them the best bet against Omicron, which is expected to be the dominant variant in Ontario by the end of the month.
“Any kind of booster for a vaccine will give you added protection,” he said. “So yeah, it’s worth getting the booster, and as somebody who still does medicine from time to time, I’m getting the booster.”
