I have received a lot of feedback regarding the weekly COVID-19 reporting — some positive, some not. I write this weekly report to highlight the data we have and to give you a sense of our thinking going forward. As you can tell from today, the snapshot of positive cases is not good. And yet, the data is telling us that the spread of omicron is beginning to slow down. We are optimistic that by the end of the month, this data will approach pre-omicron levels (with the exception of hospitalizations which will take longer to decline).
Omicron has been a difficult one for us. Going into this outbreak, we have been careful because we don’t know what is going to happen. All indications have been that it is hard to stop the spread of this virus, but the virus itself is not that severe (especially for those who have been vaccinated and boosted). One school of thought is to revert to pre-pandemic protocols, i.e. no protocols. This school of thought implies that those at risk can take extra precautions. More than a few people believe that we should ignore this outbreak.
It is my view that we are not quite there. We are a community that has been able to operate face to face since fall 2020. We have been inconvenienced, but we have not been stopped. Although few have needed significant medical attention, many in our community have become ill. Currently, it is not difficult for us to follow protocols for a few more weeks out of precaution for those at risk, as well as to minimize the pressure on the local healthcare system.
I expect that there will be a time soon when COVID-19 is treated as the flu. For those who are vaccinated, it will be no more dangerous. While this virus will likely be with us for decades, if not longer, these protocols will not be. And for those of you who do not like this weekly report clogging your email inbox, I expect that this too will soon end.
In the meantime, thank you for your patience.
Forward, Ever!
Daniel Coleman
President
