Dr Jeff Pitcher

Ontario declares STATE of EMERGENCY STAY AT HOME ORDER Effective Thursday 1201 am Social/ public gatherings are restricted to 5 people....Continue reading

We will hear next week about new restrictions to be implemented in Ontario. These are rumoured to include a curfew from 8pm to 5 am (with exception of essential workers). It is estimated by February we will have over 5000 cases per day. Hospitalizations are increasing rapidly. The Barrie hospital MASH tent outside of the hospital is accepting transfers from Toronto and other Hospitals because of the lack of beds. RVH has accepted ICU patients on ventilators because other h...ospital’s ICU’s are full it is only going to get worse. Act as though every person you see has COVID-19. Why are we in this situation? There are many answers to this. We expected to see an increase after Christmas and New Years gatherings. However, now that those events are over we know that you must protect yourself at home and at work. At work make sure you don’t become comfortable and let your guard down with your coworkers and friends. Consider everyone to have Covid-19. That means when in your lunch room, or at break, or when there are no customers around wear your mask and distance 6 feet. Follow the guidelines to stick to your own household. Only go out for essential reasons. New coronavirus variant could dominate in Ontario by next month, model shows CBC News If this new variant comes it will make the coronavirus more contagious. We need to eliminate this virus by following the best practices to prevent contracting it.

Are you pregnant, breastfeeding, have allergies (not to vaccine components) or are immunocompromised or have autoimmune conditions? The Ministry of Health is now allowing these people to get vaccinated under specific conditions. Pregnant: phase III trials were not completed on pregnant women (as with most drugs) so the effects of the vaccine are not known. Consideration to get the vaccine should be given if you are at higher risk of contracting the virus. You could be higher... risk if your workplace has a risk of exposure. If you work from home your risk would be lower unless someone in your household works at a high risk workplace. Breast feeding: because the mRNA vaccines are not live vaccines they are thought to be safe in breastfeeding. Allergies: The vaccine is only contraindicated in those with severe allergies to any components of the vaccine or a previous severe allergic reaction to the first dose of this vaccine. Immunocompromised or autoimmune conditions: Those with autoimmune or are immunocompromised are recommended to consider the vaccine. Discuss with your treating physician. Here is the referral form that is required to be signed by you and your physician. http://www.health.gov.on.ca//COVID-19_vaccine_special_popu Here is the bulletin that came out discussing these situations: https://lookaside.fbsbx.com//DOCS_ADMIN-%233522097-v1-COVI

HOPE I was fortunate to be immunized against COVID-19 today! With the vaccine it is hoped that we can return to some sense of normal by the end of this year! I received the Pfizer mRNA vaccine and it was painless. ... The only side effect so far has been a slightly sore arm. I got vaccinated to protect you, my family and friends against Covid-19! The more people that get immunized the closer we will be to herd immunity to eradicate this terrible virus. Wear a Mask Distance Wash your hands AND get Vaccinated when your turn arrives! For more information about the vaccine see this post: https://www.facebook.com/107639427557930/posts/231375071851031/?d=n

I have the fortunate opportunity on Thursday to get vaccinated with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine. Working as part of the team in the ER we are seeing undifferentiated patients with possible Covid-19 every day. This is probably one of the most important vaccinations I will ever get. It could save my life, my family’s lives, my friend’s lives. I am doing this for everyone I care about. Let’s Crush COVID!...Continue reading