The government of Ontario took the decision for children to go back to in class learning this next Monday, and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s top doctor said he believes it’s the right decision. 

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, medical officer for the EOHU, explained that we saw “minimal intra-school transition over the last twelve months” and that the benefits of returning to in person learning far outweighed the risks. “We have seen Ontario studies with very worrisome trends of increasing mental health issues in children, including anxiety and depression” he said. “These are directly linked to the social isolation being brought on by school closures.”

In Ontario there have been 28 weeks of virtual learning since the pandemic began, one of the highest numbers in the world.

Dr. Roumeliotis said that the rate of severe disease in children is “extremely low” and urged parents to get their children vaccinated.  “It's a paradox,” said Roumeliotis. “Parents are worried about their children going back to school but only 44% of the kids are vaccinated.

“That’s another tool that we have that’s being underutilized.”

Moving forward, s cases across the country continue to rise at an alarming rate, Dr. Roumeliotis warned that although Omicron tends to cause less severe disease, it's transmissibility rate means that hospitals are on the verge of being overrun. 

The EOHU is set to change the reporting on their website to reflect their “new strategy” as the pandemic shifts towards an endemic.  Less emphasis will be given to active cases as they will focus more on hospitalizations and ICU admission, outbreak numbers, test positivity, absenteeism and waste water levels.