The medical officer of health for Chatham-Kent says people should consider themselves fully vaccinated against COVID-19 only when they have had three shots, even though the definition of fully vaccinated has not officially changed since boosters started being offered late last year.
Dr. David Colby said Omicron requires a stronger immunization regimen and three doses are needed to fully protect the public against the virus. Colby said two shots just don't cut it anymore.
"We still have a substantial number of people that have not received their third shot, and with Omicron, being fully immunized should mean three shots," said Colby. "It's not two [shots] that constitutes full immunization when we're dealing with Omicron and its subvariants that are circulating now."
Colby is urging people to get their fourth shot, but that can't happen without a third shot first.
"We want everybody to get their fourth shot who had their third shot if you're over 60. But if you haven't had your third shot, we really need you to get that done and of course, if you haven't been vaccinated at all, it's never too late to start," the doctor added.
Colby also said levels of COVID-19 in Chatham's wastewater have gone up slightly but they're still low. However, those levels in Wallaceburg have not increased. Ontario's science table is reporting an estimated 100,000 new COVID-19 cases a day based on recent wastewater data, the highest number of daily infections since the beginning of the pandemic.
The doctor emphasized once again that he won't impose mandatory masking or other public health measures used in the past, saying it's a provincial matter. He noted again a patchwork of health measures is not the way to go in this situation.
Chatham-Kent Public Health is reporting a new COVID-19 death and 67 new cases on Friday. Health Unit Spokesperson Caress Lee Carpenter said the latest death involves a woman in her 90s. There have been 64 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began two years ago.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance reported a new COVID-19 outbreak on Friday with four cases at the Complex Continuing Care Unit on the 4th floor at the Chatham hospital. There are also six patients in the Chatham hospital being treated primarily for the virus.
Catholic schools in Lambton-Kent are reporting a slightly higher absenteeism rate of 12 per cent over the past week, one percentage point higher than the previous week, while public schools are holding stable at 9 per cent. School board officials said not all absenteeism is linked to COVID-19.
Ontario reported 10 more COVID-19 deaths on Friday and 4,295 new cases. The province also said there are 1,135 COVID-19 patients in the hospital and 166 of them are in the ICU.
