As We Hurtle, Eyes Wide Open, Towards Another Disastrous Winter Respiratory Virus Season, Where Is Public Health?

Screencap of the email I received on Thursday afternoon

On Thursday afternoon at 2:53pm doctors in Ottawa received a public health alert email from our associate medical officer of health Dr. Trevor Arnason.

In it he plainly explains what we’re soon to be facing,

“It is now likely that COVID-19 will reach high levels in the community prior to the availability of the new vaccine formulation in Ontario.”

As to the thrust of the rest of the alert? It was to tell Ottawa’s doctors that people at higher risk should reconsider waiting for the new XBB.1.5-Adapted Monovalent COVID-19 vaccines (which whispers suggest will drop sometime in October).

Nothing else.

Nothing about reinstating masking in our medical offices or hospitals. Nothing about the means to monitor and improve our office’s indoor air quality. Nothing about kids and schools and masks, ventilation, or air filtration there. Nothing about our roles in educating the public about the differences in efficacy of different mask types or encouraging their use. Nothing about doctors considering an active outreach campaign to reach our known to be vulnerable patients.

There was also nothing on Ottawa Public Health’s social media feeds about any of the aforementioned topics, or mention that their prediction is that our current surge will continue and grow. Nothing to remind us that last December our children’s hospital had to call in the Red Cross to help because it was so overwhelmed. Nothing on the 8 COVID deaths Ottawa suffered last week. Nothing as school started on how best estimates show that 70% of family COVID cases originate in the classroom, or on what families might do in their homes to reduce that risk with simple things like opening windows, running range hoods or bathroom fans, or how to build simple air filtration units like Corsi-Rosenthal boxes. Nothing on when and how best to use rapid testing, and nothing on what to do when one family member tests positive to reduce the risk to the rest of the household.

While I appreciate there may be practical limits to what regional public health units are capable of doing, there aren’t limits to what regional public health units are capable of saying.

And here in Ottawa, our public health unit clearly appreciates that part of their job is to inform the public of the risks they might be facing as well as to offer suggestions as to how to mitigate those risks. I know this because they are terrific at reminding us to regularly wear sunscreen, to drink water when it’s hot, to wear bug spray, to check for ticks, and to rid the areas around our home of standing water.

But conveying timely, actionable information around COVID, which here in Ottawa according to our city’s wastewater tracking has been rising exponentially since July?

“Use your layers, Ottawa” they tweeted once on August 30th which whether coincidence or not was posted shortly after this tweet of mine.

And then yesterday they tweeted, “A well-fitted mask will help protect you, and those around you.”.

Suffice to say, that doesn’t really convey what we’re facing or provide particularly accurate or fulsome advice given a well-fitted cloth or surgical mask won’t do all that much protecting and that vague masking advice alone doesn’t help to bridge the public’s huge knowledge gaps on the non-exhaustive list of topics up above.

---

And just to be exceedingly clear, Ottawa Public Health is not unique among Ontario public health units and Ottawa Public Health would happily be all over this if only they were allowed. That they’re not speaks to their leadership and direction, not to them.

---

Have a great weekend!