With the elimination of COVID-19 vaccine passports set to begin on March 1, the medical officer of health in Chatham-Kent is emphasizing there's more of a chance an unvaccinated person will get the virus and transmit it than a person who is vaccinated.
Dr. David Colby said the risk of infection depends on different factors such as physical distancing, masking, and the amount of time a person is exposed to the virus. Colby said 15 minutes is the usual limit of exposure and if masks are worn, that threshold of time increases before the risk of infection becomes greater.
He also said three doses gives a person 60 per cent protection against getting COVID-19 and 90 per cent protection against severe outcomes from the virus like hospitalization and death.
Dr. Colby said it's a complicated issue because there's such a broad spectrum of different results that people get.
"Vaccination does decrease transmission, but I can't say definitively it does so by decreasing the viral particles in a particular infected individual. When people become symptomatic they shed more virus than when they are asymptomatic," said Colby.
He said he's hearing more and more that people would be more comfortable if businesses kept the vaccine passports in place. As for separating vaccinated and unvaccinated patrons at drinking establishments, Colby said that would be driven by consumer demand and it's up to individual establishments to do it if they deemed it necessary.
Colby said the vaccine passports have done what they were intended to do and likely won't encourage those who have not yet been vaccinated to do so.
The doctor also said the vaccination strategy for Chatham-Kent will remain the same as it has been.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance reported 19 COVID-19 patients in the Chatham hospital on Thursday with 10 of them being treated primarily for the virus. Hospital officials said there are four patients with COVID-19 in the ICU and two of them are being treated primarily for the virus. Eight of the 19 COVID-19 patients are not vaccinated and one is partially vaccinated.
