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Ontario government moves to speed boosters, tighten rules at nursing homes as Omicron spreads

Thestar.com
Dec. 14, 2021
Rob Ferguson

Ontario will unveil new restrictions to protect nursing home residents from COVID-19 and is working to begin offering boosters for those 18 and over sooner than Jan. 4 as the Omicron variant spreads more rapidly than predicted just days ago.

The measures coming Tuesday include requiring all nursing home visitors be vaccinated and setting a limit of two visitors, government sources said.

“Visitors need to be at least double vaccinated because seniors are more vulnerable,” said Lisa Levin of AdvantAge Ontario, representing not-for-profit homes.

“Things have changed.”

Homes have been testing visitors but that is not enough, Levin said, raising concerns about how many nursing home workers have boosters and what could happen to care levels for frail and elderly residents if too many staff contract the virus.

The seven-day average of cases in Ontario is up 40 per cent in the last week to 1,328 and Monday’s 1,536 new infections were almost double the level of last Monday, although overall hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions remain relatively stable and well within the health system’s capacity.

While chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore said Friday that 10 per cent of new infections were Omicron as of Thursday and would reach 20 per cent this week, that level was reached Sunday and grew to 30 per cent on Monday.

The science table advising Moore and Ford said Omicron is now doubling every three days, compared with 34 days for the Delta variant that has been dominant since spring and summer but is being rapidly overtaken. Omicron is on track to replace Delta by Christmas Day.

That speed -- and concerns that two doses aren’t enough to curb the spread of Omicron -- is fuelling a provincial government push to work with regional public health units to ramp up booster clinics, with longer hours and more daily openings.

Moore said Friday that third shots for those 18 and up wouldn’t begin until Jan. 4 but the goal is now to move that date forward.

“Jan. 4 isn’t that far away but we will move quicker if we can,” said a senior government source.

More than 115,000 of the age 50 to 69 age group that became eligible for boosters Monday had booked appointments by mid-afternoon with multiple reports of snags and delays on the provincial website.

About 3.4 million in that cohort are eligible for boosters.

“So frustrating to see folks 50+ met by chaos, long waits and crashes trying to book boosters today,” New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath said on Twitter. “People deserve better.”

As part of the government’s strategy, Moore sent robocalls to thousands of eligible Ontarians Monday urging them to get boosters.

Meanwhile, the province moved Monday to pause the return-to-office schedule for the civil service -- starting Friday and until Feb. 7 -- because of the surge in COVID-19 and following guidance from Moore last Friday that employers should allow workers to telecommute where possible.

“Over the next week, we are asking all managers to assess operational requirements at the local level and what work can be carried on remotely,” secretary of cabinet Michelle DiEmanuele said in a memo.