When the provincial vaccine passport requirements are removed, the acting medical officer of health for Windsor-Essex says he'll be looking for guidance from the province when it comes to reducing COVID-19 transmission.
The provincial government announced this week that come March 1, it will lift proof of vaccination requirements for all settings.
Dr. Shanker Nesathurai says it's important for people to continue to adhere to the rules in place between now and then, and get vaccinated or boosted if they haven't yet.
"That will help normalize or bring COVID-19 under a better control as we move forward. My message is caution, I think the province has effectuated these relaxations and we now have to monitor for the effect. We have to continue to be vigilant to keep COVID-19 under control and manageable in our community."
Dr. Shanker Nesathurai says if there's one thing we've learned from the pandemic is it's unpredictable, and the new plans announced by the province will shift how the local plan looks.
"When we formulate a public health plan we look at provincial guidance, we look at the current provincial regulations, and we consider the local circumstances to formulate a plan moving forward."
He says about 570 people have died in Windsor-Essex due to COVID-19 since the pandemic, and 48 beds are currently in use from patients with the virus, an area where he'd like to see capacity added.
Dr. Nesathurai says the public health service is always concerned about the broad health of the community, both COVID and non-COVID related disease, but the issue is that hospitals were stretched to the limit even before the pandemic.
"Many times running capacities above 90 per cent. When you think of 48 additional patients in the hospital, that means it's stretching hospital resources further. As hospital and healthcare resources are used for COVID management, other diseases and people with other illnesses are waiting in line for treatment or not getting treatment in a timely manner."
The province has said businesses and other settings may choose to continue to require proof of vaccination, while masking requirements will remain in place with a specific timeline to lift the measure coming later.