The new COVID-19 Omicron Variant is killing people and the Sudbury health unit said it is stepping up the fight to keep the highly transmissible version of the virus from spreading. The health unit also said that so far in Sudbury there are no officially confirmed cases of the Omicron Variant.
In a Friday afternoon news release, Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said the Omicron threat is "the most challenging wave yet of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Medical officer of health Dr. Penny Sutcliffe said additional measures are being introduced such as redeploying resources to focus on vaccinations, especially for vaccine booster doses and for children aged five to 11.
Sutcliffe also made reference to the new restrictions being imposed by the province, and updating the Class Order from October 28 to incorporate changes in management of cases and contacts of COVID-19, effective immediately.
Sutcliffe said PHSD has already seen its resources stretched in dealing with the Delta Variant and Omicron is only going to make things worse. She said the Sudbury jurisdiction has had 47 deaths since the pandemic began.
"In our area—recently people in their 30s, 50s, and 60s have lost their lives,” said Sutcliffe.
“The additional protections we have put in place since early November have helped control rapid growth. This is good news, however, it is obvious from experience in Kingston and elsewhere, that additional measures are needed with Omicron to reduce the impacts on people and the health care system as much as possible. Please continue to take care of yourselves and others, as we may be in for a difficult next few weeks,” said Sutcliffe.
PHSD also said it was pleased to learn the Ontario government has announced new measures to dealing with higher cases counts
"To date, Public Health Sudbury & Districts has no confirmed cases of Omicron in its catchment area. However, residents should be aware that there are multiple cases of COVID-19 under investigation for Omicron as they have screened positive for the variant. The extraordinarily high rate of transmission for Omicron and early evidence that it can produce severe disease, has prompted the Science Advisory Table to warn that without prompt intervention, ICU occupancy could reach unsustainable levels in early January. With the Omicron variant, the focus for Public Health is on reducing severe illness and hospitalizations and maintaining essential services," said a statement from PHSD.
