WELLINGTON COUNTY – The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 “global health emergency” over on May 5.
Does that mean the pandemic is over?
That’s a “yes and no” answer, says Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.
“If you look at the scientific definition, the pandemic is not over,” Mercer said in a May 11 phone interview.
“COVID-19 is still circulating, people are still getting sick, and some people are dying.”
As long as the coronavirus is circulating globally, by definition it’s still a pandemic.
“But if you ask, ‘how do we feel as a community?’ many people would say it’s over,” she continued.
People are back at work and school, attending large events again, travel has resumed, and unless they get the sniffles, most people don’t think about COVID-19 anymore.
Mask mandates are lifted and vaccination mandates, for those who had them, are also lifted. And people can hug and shake hands once again.
But it’s been a difficult three years for everyone, Mercer said, noting some businesses that closed during the early lockdowns, were never able to recover and are now permanently closed.
And for those who lost a loved one to COVID-19, that pain doesn’t go away quickly either.
DR. NICOLA MERCER (WDGPH photo)
“Some people will never completely recover,” Mercer said. “We still have the lingering effects of that.”
But for the most part, people are behaving like it’s over, Mercer conceded.
And within her agency, there’s not one person assigned strictly to COVID-19 duties anymore.
“We’ve started to blend COVID into our other activities,” she said.
Public health runs the vaccination program for all vaccines and will be central in distributing and administering COVID-19 vaccines and boosters going forward.
Indeed, it’s likely they can be administered at the same time as the influenza shot beginning this fall.
The latest advice is for everyone to receive a COVID-19 booster shot annually.
Mercer stressed COVID-19 is still a powerful disease that can be deadly, especially for seniors and those who are immune-compromised.
“I don’t want people to think they are done with the COVID vaccine,” she said.
“COVID-19 is far more significant than the flu,” and it’s likely there will be an increase in cases in the fall.
The agency still tracks local cases, but those numbers haven’t been accurate for a long time, she said.
Many people who have cold-like symptoms don’t bother testing anymore. They just stay home, lay low, and let whatever they’ve got run its course.
But what people are still looking for is information about outbreaks at schools, long-term care facilities and workplaces, Mercer said.
Public health will continue to track those.
On May 15, there were four long-term care homes in the region in outbreak:
- Avalon Care Centre in Orangeville, units 1 South and 1 North, declared April 24;
- Chartwell Montgomery Village in Orangeville, facility wide, declared May 9;
- Royal Terrace Retirement Home in Palmerston, facility wide, declared April 29; and
- Strathcona Long-term Care Home in Mount Forest, 3rd floor, declared May 4.
There were no outbreaks in schools or workplaces.
“We’ve reached a place where people don’t need to be scared and that’s good,” Mercer said.
“But don’t ignore this disease. It has caused significant illness and death.
“Stay home if you’re sick and get your annual shot.
“It’s a small ask and the benefit to yourself and others is huge.”
