Ottawa medical officer of health says mask up and ‘get vaccinated’ ahead of January

Recently, the city of Ottawa’s medical officer of health warned that the rate of respiratory viruses will skyrocket starting in January. 

“We can all do something about it,” Etches said. Etches stated her belief that children should get vaccinated against COVID-19. 

“I want to speak to parents,” she said. “We’re still seeing deaths from COVID, and when we work with our children to help them be vaccinated, to wear a mask, when we are vaccinated, we do make a difference for people who are at greatest risk.”

On the topic of masks, Etches warned that she expects things to get worse in January. 

"It's not easy to hear this but we expect things to get worse after the holidays," Etches said. "Because so many people gather indoors, and aren't wearing masks."

1/2 Dr Vera Etches and Ottawa Public Health showed remarkable leadership during the course of a terrible and unrelenting pandemic. The guidance provided by them to the public was invaluable, and certainly saved countless lives.

— Jim Watson (@JimWatsonOttawa) June 9, 2022

In addition to encouraging children to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Etches suggested they be vaccinated for the flu as well. She also said that in 2023, staffing issues could worsen the health-care system. 

"It's not easy to find more health-care workers,” Etches claimed. “So even though they can create more beds and create more capacity in maybe non-traditional places it really is the pressure from the staffing needed that is a concern.”