Niagara's top doctor thinks there should be a temporary masking mandate
Niagara's Acting Medical Officer of Health is speaking out after Ontario's top doctor stopped short of issuing a mask mandate.
On Monday, Dr. Kieran Moore issued a recommendation that residents wear a mask in indoor public spaces, as pediatric hospitals experience a surge in children suffering from influenza, COVID-19 and RSV.
However, Dr. Mustafa Hirji says that's not enough.
"I think we are already at a point where our hospitals are in crisis", he says. "We have far too many children who are getting sick and being hospitalized, and I think it's too late for half measures such as recommendations."
Hirji notes he thinks the province should have instituted a temporary masking requirement for indoor public spaces until the situation gets better.
He also says he thinks low vaccination rates are at least partially to blame for rising pressures on children's hospitals.
"Unfortunately, thus far, we haven't seen a lot of uptakes on either COVID boosters or COVID vaccines in younger children or on the flu vaccine yet. So that's one thing I think is really causing some difficulty."
Hirji says as you plan your holiday celebrations, you should wear a mask while visiting people's homes or going to indoor public spaces.
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