THUNDER BAY – Dr. Janet DeMille says she’s cautiously optimistic about Ontario’s newly announced plan to start lifting restrictions on businesses across the province.
DeMille, the medical officer of health at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, says on one hand she’s a concerned about the high number of cases in her region, a figure she estimates is likely four to five times greater than the number of cases announced each day.
On the other, she said she realizes the strain closures have placed on entrepreneurs and staff at restaurants, movie theatres and gyms, which have suffered the brunt of the latest closures. Restaurants have once again been reduced to take-out and outdoor dining only, while gyms and theatres have been closed completely since Jan. 5.
All will be allowed to reopen, at a maximum 50 per cent capacity, on Jan. 31.
“I’m glad to hear of the plan to review restrictions. I certainly think it’s reasonable to be looking at removing or lessening some of the restrictions, especially presuming we will start to see a more significant decline in our cases and an improvement of our situation in this area,” DeMille said, reached by Zoom on Thursday afternoon.
“I think right now we’re kind of in the heat of it still, with this Omicron surge. We’re still reporting a high number of cases every day and that we know is only a small percentage of the total number of people who have COVID because of the changes in testing.”
DeMille says she’s concerned about a high number of outbreaks in the District of Thunder Bay, which have impacted the Thunder Bay District Jail and the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre, along with a number of congregate living spaces.
She’s worried about the impact the outbreaks are having on key health-care workers and those at highest risk from the virus.
“I certainly want to see that improve because with the reopening of schools this week, and then with the lessening of measures that could actually result in an increase in transmission of the Omicron variant,” DeMille said.
“It’s really finding the right balance between having the measures in place to protect people and places, while at the same time still looking at how we open up a little bit more so people can do things that are really meaningful to them.”
Asked about the region’s tendency to lag about two weeks behind other regions of the province, and if she’s worried it might be too soon to extend reopening plans to Thunder Bay, DeMille said she’s of mixed minds on the subject.
On the one hand, she cited data she saw on Jan. 16 that suggested her district was one of eight in the province where numbers weren’t going down. On the other hand, there are some indicators that are encouraging that seem to show Thunder Bay may be stabilizing at this time.
“Even in the next few days I wouldn’t be surprised to see some decline in our numbers, which would then really reassure me. Of course, if that were to continue, then we would be generally in a good place, for sure, by Jan. 31,” DeMille said.
She added booster shots are having a major impact on the spread of infection in the region and certainly on the severity for anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, and encourage the public to get vaccinated and get boosted when eligible.
About 50 per cent of those 18 and older living in the District of Thunder Bay have had a third shot as of last Saturday.
