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As the long weekend approaches, Dr. Piotr Oglaza, a medical officer at Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Public Health in Addington, warns people to take precautions when gathering due to high levels of COVID-19 transmission in the region.
During a media conversation Thursday, Oglaza explained that the more portable version of Omicron BA.2 is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Ontario and that the KFL & A region is experiencing increased hospitalizations due to increased transmissibility.
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“It spreads very easily and is starting to affect the number of new hospitalizations in the region. In the last 14 days, the number of new hospitalizations has increased significantly, but our number of hospitalizations remains stable, as the people who are hospitalized remain only a few days, “Oglaza explained.
Despite the high levels of viral activity in the community, Oglaza recognizes the importance of family reunification, but begs people to be careful.
“For anyone planning to get together with others, I encourage everyone to assess your risk and the risk of others attending the gathering and make decisions based on that risk assessment,” he explained.
The most important measure is to be screened for symptoms and stay home if you are not feeling well, even if the symptoms are mild.
“With Omicron, the types of symptoms that people experience may be mild and may not really be similar to what we thought COVID was before. It could just be a sore throat or a headache. These can be common symptoms that someone experiences and even if they are mild, I strongly encourage them to stay at home, “said Oglaza.
For those experiencing symptoms, Oglaza said rapid antigen tests are widely available for free throughout the Kingston region, but he insisted that no sedation tests be done.
“If you have symptoms, please consider a quick test,” he said. “But even if this test is negative, in this context it is still important to stay at home and not attend any gatherings that will help us prevent further spread and really protect those who may be more vulnerable. If someone is not feeling well, a negative RAT can be a false sense of confidence and they can still be infected and expose others. “
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For those who organize gatherings this weekend, wearing masks indoors, organizing dinner outdoors and opening windows to increase ventilation are risk reduction strategies.
“The safest course of action is for people to wear masks indoors, especially in situations where physical distancing may be difficult or impossible. For those at increased risk, consider collecting a small amount and limit the number of contacts outside your household. “If the collection is still intended for indoor use, keeping windows and doors open will increase airflow and also reduce risk,” Oglaza said.
In addition to these protections, Oglaza continues to encourage everyone to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, and those over the age of 60 to reserve their fourth dose of the vaccine.
Vaccine appointments and clinics are available online and by telephone through KFL & A Public Health.
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