Extending the lockdown, New Year’s Eve, staying healthy: What you need to know about COVID-19 now

10 key take-aways from York Region's update on pandemic

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 22, 2020
Kim Zarzour

Mayors and regional councillors stood for a moment of silence at their last York Region council meeting of the year Dec. 17 to honour 329 individuals who lost their lives to COVID-19.

"Each loss of life is a stark reminder of how COVID-19 needs to be taken seriously," council chair, Wayne Emmerson said.

After expressing their condolences, they called on Dr. Karim Kurji, medical officer of health, and Dr. Jeya Nadarajah, director of infection prevention and control and medical microbiology laboratory programs at Markham Stouffville hospital, along with regional staff to provide the latest news on COVID-19.

Here are 10 key take-aways:

We could be in lockdown two months or more. Lockdowns must last two incubation periods (14 days each), long enough to have a real impact. For York region, that means Jan. 11 -- but it’s unlikely. The region could have a chance at advocating for moving back to the red zone designation when the number of new cases drops to about 80 a day -- but that’s a tall order. Assuming everything went really well and the public cooperated with protocols, it could take about two months for York to reach 60 cases a day.

 

There will be no free rides on public transit this New Year’s Eve. The annual service, encouraging partiers to take York Region transit, is on hold for 2020. Residents are asked to limit celebrations to members of their immediate household and stay home, instead

 

Help is available for struggling businesses. The Ministry of Finance offers funding to assist businesses in the red and lockdown zones but so far, only $3 million has been requested. It’s unclear why so few businesses are applying -- possibly because small businesses don’t have time or expertise to go through the red tape. The Region of York is working to help businesses find a way to secure funding to cover off their fixed costs and survive the lockdown.

 

Hospitals are at a tipping point but it’s not why you think. All hospitals have surge plans identifying unconventional spaces for beds and oxygen. The biggest concern is not shortage of beds, but staffing. Highly trained professionals, intensive care unit or specially trained staff, in particular, are in short supply and cannot be trained overnight

 

York hospitals are expected to begin immunizing next week. The region is lining up several different delivery models including six YRT mobile buses, Markham fairground or Ray Twinney area for drive-thrus, fixed sites and partnering with local physicians and pharmacists. Depending on the model, public health could vaccinate from 600 to as many as 7,400 people a day. Those who have had COVID-19 already are recommended to get vaccines because for now, science says the vaccine offers better protection than the virus itself.

 

Rapid tests are on the way. Technology is advancing and some tests are showing promise in certain targeted areas -- with studies underway in areas that would have the highest impact after lockdown, such as long-term-care homes and schools. The Ministry of Health is also evaluating tests being offered by some private companies, letting public health units know which ones are not reliable and require confirmation through normal testing methods

 

Most COVID-19 patients have no, or mild symptoms. At Markham Stouffville hospital, and most other hospitals, 80 per cent of patients get a mild version of the virus. There are a few trials looking at giving these people medication to prevent further progression based on risk factors, but it is still very early in the data-gathering and rare.

 

More than 15 per cent of patients have moderate illness, 5 per cent critically ill. Those who fall in the latter category arrive at hospital already very sick and go straight to ICU. That may be because fear keeps people home longer, worried they will get sicker in hospital (not true). But as well, with COVID-19, you can get very sick in 45 minutes. You can be talking, maybe require a little bit of oxygen and suddenly, just “tank.

 

Even with mild illness, symptoms can linger. The most common symptoms are fatigue, shortness of breath and cough, but a substantial number of patients have persistent symptoms for months after that interferes with daily life.

 

Some therapies show promising results. Some data shows vitamin D, C and Zinc can be of some benefit, while one large trial showed no benefit. Primary physicians are advised to tell patients that vitamin D has lots of other good benefits, especially during the winter months but it is not used as a treatment in hospital at this time. Another promising therapy for all patients with COVID-19, whether they’re in hospital or at home, is proning, or sleeping on your stomach, to increase lung capacity.