As local COVID case numbers rise and the holidays upon us, Chatham-Kent’s top doctor has some concerns.
There are now 100 active cases of the virus in the municipality, but Dr. David Colby says the real issue is pressure on hospital capacity and resources.
“Right now the hospital is okay, but I’m worried about the trajectory because we really have to make sure that our hospital is not overloaded and congested to the point where people can’t get timely care,” Dr. Colby says. “In many respects that trumps all other considerations.”
According to Thursday’s daily COVID report from Public Health, there are five Chatham-Kent residents being treated for the virus at CKHA.
While the recent upswing in case numbers isn’t isolated to Chatham-Kent, the municipality’s medical officer believes it is still worrying.
“As the weather gets colder, people are moving indoors, the holiday season is upon us and people are forgetting the basics that they’ve had to learn over the last two years,” Colby says. “It’s an interesting mindset, I think everybody to some degree plays the game, ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine, I’ll just go ahead with my plans.'”
Colby says some health units have increased restrictions again, and while it’s not something he’s considering right now, it’s always on the table should things start to get out of hand.
On the plus side, Dr. Colby says so far there has been no sign of the Omicron variant in Chatham-Kent. At this point, he doesn’t believe the new variant is any greater cause for concern and says most information being circulated is more speculation than anything.