‘Now seems to be an appropriate time:’ Sask. microbiologist weighs in on lifting of restrictions

A Saskatchewan microbiologist is saying the province’s plan to lift all restrictions by the end of February isn’t unreasonable, according to the data.

Dr. Joseph Blondeau is the head of clinical microbiology at Royal University Hospital and the University of Saskatchewan, as well as the provincial lead for clinical microbiology with the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

He said those following the news will have noticed a trend occurring in a lot of western nations that have high vaccination rates and public health measures in place, where governments are beginning to move towards an end to those restrictions.

Based on the data available, Blondeau said that decision makes sense.

With Omicron now the dominant strain of COVID-19 and data showing as many as 80 per cent of individuals infected are asymptomatic, the likelihood of the virus having spread through most communities is high, Blondeau said.

But hospitalization rates — in intensive care units in particular — have remained lower during Omicron than what was seen during the Delta wave, Blondeau noted. As a result, many regions are moving to say this variant is behaving more like a seasonal respiratory virus and, as such, it’s time to start easing government mandates.

“I think that the recommendations in Saskatchewan but also elsewhere in Canada and in other parts of the world are all following this similar trend,” Blondeau said.

While he said nobody can predict what the future will hold, the information present right now shows the virus has changed.

“Who knows when the absolute right time is? But the evidence seems to suggest we are entering into a different phase of the pandemic,” Blondeau said.

“If you’re going to make a decision, the decision should be evidence-based and follow what some of those trends are showing.”

Blondeau said COVID fatigue is high among Saskatchewan residents, as it is among people in other provinces who have been living under some form of restrictions for most of the past two years.

“I think the trending information is indicating that now seems to be an appropriate time in order to start easing these restrictions,” Blondeau said.

“I think that is being done with the knowledge that should something change — another variant arise or should hospitalizations rates change — then restrictions could also be put back in place as needed.”

That doesn’t mean every person in Saskatchewan has to act as if COVID-19 never existed, however. Blondeau said each individual has a responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.

As such, if people want to continue to restrict their own activities and gatherings — especially when unsure about people’s vaccine status — or wear a mask and practise physical distancing, they can.

“Certainly those are the types of things I would continue to recommend,” Blondeau said, particularly for people who are at a higher risk for more severe infection.

He said it is possible a small surge could come as a result of the lifting of restrictions, and some individuals writing the literature have suggested this. However, another opinion holds that because Omicron has been so highly transmitted and caused so many asymptomatic infections, much of the population may have already been exposed whether or not they returned a positive COVID test.

In that case, Blondeau said a possible period of quiescence is possible, where infections will remain low, with a possible resurgence of the virus in the fall months.

Even if a surge does come sooner, Blondeau does not predict significant hospitalizations.

He reiterated the message he said he has shared consistently since the beginning of the pandemic and especially since the start of the vaccination campaign: Vaccines have shown themselves to be extremely important in getting the province to where it is. Blondeau said he also believes vaccination will be the best protection moving forward.

He noted hospitalizations and deaths are still occurring more among people who have not been vaccinated.

Blondeau encouraged people who have not yet been vaccinated and might be unsure to reach out to someone who is knowledgeable to have their questions answered.