GARDNER DEFENDS LOCKDOWN ‘RATIONALE’ AMID CRITICISM, CITING VARIANTS
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Public, political and business attacks on the medical officer — that even got personal — led him today to provide his “rationale” for recommending a local lockdown tomorrow.
Dr. Charles Gardner went on Facebook this afternoon to respond to more than “100” email complaints he has received by phone and online from mostly business people and workers concerned about their businesses and “livelihoods,” but also from residents and mayors including Jeff Leeman in Barrie and Graydon Smith in Bracebridge among them.
He said he has read and heard those comments and he wanted to respond.
Including to “people who pointed out that I am still guaranteed an income and they are not and I should be sympathetic.”
He said “I feel it’s an opportunity to I speak to the community.”
He said: “What I gathered from this is a greater understanding of the importance of it and the tangible way it affects people’s lives.
But a “large and severe second wave that built from September to January — and only started to come down when it was interrupted by the shutdown” — caused him offer his “advice” to the Ministry of Health and the province.
And the fact that “over 60 per cent of our cases are either the UK variant or a variant of concern” made the decision easier.
“He said the other framework (red zone) was not effective in keeping it in control.”
Gardner said Simcoe-Muskoka has more VOCs than any other health unit, brought on by the deadly Roberta Place outbreak in Barrie, where more than half the cases died.
That was followed by smaller variant outbreaks.
Combined they were a “warning” to him of a “danger” to seniors and those vulnerable in LTCs and also that it could easily spread to households.
He said “we instituted an attempt to contain it with a very aggressive case and contact management.”
However, he said he “positioned from the very beginning that we wouldn’t succeed in that and at best we would slow it down.”
But the VOC has continued to spread in LTCs and “various workplaces” in both Simcoe and Muskoka that have had people infected with VOCs.
They’re in manufacturing, agriculture, financing and restaurants.
Now there’s a child-care centre and a school exposure, he said.
And an apartment complex with 25 cases and one death in Simcoe.
He said “it speaks to just how readily this can spread.”
There’s “an ever-increasing number of cases in the community that aren’t linked to these cases or are unattached,” that are “of great concern to me.”
He said a “jump in the last week,” including “8 cases in Muskoka” and “two outbreaks in Muskoka,” too left him “very concerned.”
But it was “30 per cent jump in COVID-19 cases” at the beginning of this past week over the previous week — the first since the beginning of January — that forced his hand.
Gardner said until then the shutdown had been working.
“To me the fact that we had this spread of the UK variant was important concern and consideration.”
A high reproductive number not seen since wave on also played a big part.
Along with the history of the UK variant as it becomes the dominant strain “it becomes very difficult to control.”
He said the “inference” of the province’s “emergency brake” is that it would be a short one to bring the virus under control.
But since he said “we couldn’t go back” from red to a less restrictive framework, the only option was grey.
Yet, after questions and suggestions following Friday’s announcement about modifying the grey zone to end it in a week or not having it apply to Muskoka, he had his epidemiologist re-examine the recent numbers and he found some “reassurance” that’s cases counts are moderating and the “momentary trend overall” is slightly better.
And Gardner said he is concerned about “swinging” back-and-forth between red and grey zones, because he’s been told businesses have trouble going in to and out of lockdowns.
“I’ve also been told we can expect real difficulty with businesses if we proceed with the shutdown that there will be many who will who refuse to comply and that there will an act of protest.
“So I need to acknowledge that.”
But “what do we do” if cases go up again, he said — “as I fear they may?”
He was asked whether he would he advise the province to change direction?
He said he’d take concerns in to account as he looks at the numbers this week and reports back to the province’s chief medical officer of health David Williams.
“And we will see what transpires,” said Gardner.
Gardner concluded by saying “I’d like to say this has been extremely hard for everyone involved. The pandemic has been very hard. This turn of events has been very hard.
“I personally have found it to be very hard.”
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