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Ontario medical experts are sounding the alarm over Alberta’s recent decision to significantly ease its COVID-19 restrictions, warning the move could cause ripple effects across the country\u00a0\u2014 and the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The thing about this pandemic is that it’s global and that means we are all interconnected,”\u00a0said Dr. Andrew Boozary, executive director\u00a0of social medicine at the University Health Network.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“For policy makers to bury their heads away from the evidence and the science … it is definitely concerning.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite a recent rise in infections in Alberta, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, announced a two-phased approach Wednesday<\/a>\u00a0to eliminate the few remaining public health orders in the province.<\/p>\n
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Alberta will instead start altering\u00a0its COVID-19 protocols to be more in line with those of the flu or other communicable diseases.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“With the vaccine readily available, the need for the types of extraordinary restrictions we used in the past has diminished,” Hinshaw said.<\/p>\n
But Boozary says there should be coordination between provinces to ensure “real disasters” don’t happen across Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“This will for sure have a ripple effect and for sure impact all of us,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The change comes as Alberta is reporting some of its highest COVID-19 case counts\u00a0the province has seen in weeks. The rate of infection has also continue to climb to points not seen throughout the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The province says 54.7 per cent of Albertans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while\u00a0and 64.3 per cent have now received at least one dose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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While infectious disease specialist Dr. Zain Chagla says the move is likely a preview of what other province’s will eventually adopt, he says the decision\u00a0has come\u00a0“prematurely.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We’re just not there yet,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“There’s still a quarter of that population where adults are still completely susceptible to the delta variant who aren’t vaccinated.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chagla highlighted several recent instances, including in Israel and the U.K., where the Delta variant has found its way to the unvaccinated population after restrictions were eased. In the U.S., Missouri and Florida are among the hardest hit by the summer surge in which the U.S. is now averaging more than 60,000 new cases a day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It’s going to have stress on the health care system \u2026 it’s certainly going to have effects on\u00a0patient care,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“If you take away the last tool to make sure health care utilization is not overwhelmed, you’re going to see health care utilization overwhelmed.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other medical experts agree, taking to Twitter to criticize the move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nSo let me get this straight: Alberta is removing masking rules AND no longer requiring people who have tested positive for <a href=”https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19<\/a> to quarantine…but the virus is spreading faster now than it did during the peak of the 3rd wave??? \ud83e\udd2f\ud83e\udd2f\ud83e\udd2f <a href=”https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/COVID19AB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19AB<\/a><\/p>\n
—@NaheedD<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n\nVery surprised to see the announcement out of Alberta today. We are one country, and our fates are connected. Let\u2019s hope elected and public health leaders from elsewhere are able to convince Alberta to reverse course.<\/p>\n
—@IrfanDhalla<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n\nThe province I was born in, where I learned to skate, beat the goalie low blocker side, made me a doctor…has abandoned science, public safety for desperate politicking. I am literally sickened. <a href=”https:\/\/t.co\/AKxKpbTP1U”>https:\/\/t.co\/AKxKpbTP1U<\/a><\/p>\n
—@SharkawyMD<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ontario to focus on keeping ‘vast majority’ safe\u00a0<\/h2>\nBut the question remains: could Ontario follow in Alberta’s path?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Asked at a news briefing Thursday whether Ontario would take a similar approach, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones didn’t specifically answer either way, instead confirming only that the province’s current indoor masking policy will remain in place for the time being.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We are going to continue with the pathway that keeps the vast majority of Ontarian citizens safe and hope that people do the right thing and get vaccinated as soon as they can,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/div>Ontario Attorney General Sylvia Jones wouldn’t comment Thursday on whether or not Ontario could follow suit on Alberta’s move to significantly ease its COVID-19 restrictions. (CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/span>\u00a0<\/div>\n
The Ministry of Health said Thursday that\u00a0more than 80 per cent Ontarians aged 12 and older\u00a0have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n
That means one of three conditions the province has set for moving beyond Step 3 of its reopening plan has now been met.<\/p>\n
The province has said that if all of those conditions are satisfied, the majority of restrictions can be lifted as early as Aug. 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CBC Toronto has reached out to the Ministry of Health for comment on Alberta’s recent move, and whether or not Ontario would consider a similar approach in the future, but hasn’t yet received a reply.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n