Algoma still within Omicron surge but there are signs of it slowing: Dr. Loo

Algoma’s top doctor says the region is still in a surge of the Omicron variant, but there are signs it is slowing.

“We are certainly in the thick of our current Omicron surge ,” said Dr. Jennifer Loo, medical officer of health for Algoma in a phone interview on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday’s report by Algoma Public Health (APH), there are 3,459 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region, a slight increase of 72 over the previous day.

Loo said the seven-day incidents continues to be just over 300 cases per 100,000. That is down about 25 per cent from early in the month when APH reported more than 400 cases per 100,000.

“The next few days and weeks we will be monitoring those trajectories very carefully,” said Loo. “I would say we are certainly not out of the woods yet.”

Percent positivity in the community is reported to be about 12 per cent.

A high number of local cases are being driven by high-risk settings in the region, including acute care hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes and congregate settings, said Loo.

APH lists 12 locations in the region which have declared outbreaks, including the Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre, Community Living Algoma – Congregate Living, Ontario Finnish Resthome – Kotitalo, and Pathways Retirement Residence, among others. A full list of outbreaks is available here.

“Every single day our team has been working with partners in these high-risk settings and managing and following nearly 600 active cases at any given time,” she said. 

The number of cases has not completely plateaued in recent days, said Loo, but they aren’t increasing exponentially, either.

We haven’t seen as sharp an increase in those numbers in the past few days,” said Loo.

The cases within the high-risk settings have come about by a combination of community spread and from outbreaks, said Loo.

The return of children to in-class learning is great news, said Loo, but APH is watching absenteeism very closely and working with school boards and the principals of schools in the region.

“Whenever there is a school that has an absenteeism rate that is 30 per cent over what their normal baseline is, that we take note of that and send a letter to all of the parents and members of the school community, letting them know to take extra caution and be very meticulous about daily screening, not going to school with any symptoms and making sure their mask is on at all times, etcetera,” said Loo.

APH will monitor if the upcoming economic reopening on Jan. 31 will have any effect on the number of cases in school settings.

“We are still in a heightened state of caution and watching very closely,” said Loo.

Even as children are returning to school, Loo notes there are still some prohibited activities, like contact sports and the playing of wind instruments.