Saturday, October

from The Voice, October 26 2022

Thursday, October

of summers, and I think we should absolutely double down on this.”

The pandemic has demonstrated that infection rates spike in January because of seasonal social engagements in December around Christmas time, which signifi cantly spread the virus, and indeed have necessitated lockdowns, said Hirji. However, he said that this past August was the deadliest month of the pandemic in Niagara since February 2021, and that 2022 could set a record for deaths from the virus across Canada.

Infections have increased during the fall wave, with some 800 active cases reported by Niagara Public Health. Covid-19 has claimed the lives of 610 Niagara residents since the pandemic was declared.

Using a selection of charts to underscore his analysis of the data by age group, Hirji defended the strict posture he has advocated in handling the pandemic.

“We’ve absolutely saved lives of people, compared to what we saw in the United States and the United Kingdom, where they didn’t address the pandemic nearly as rigorously as us,” he said. “I think this is a clear illustration that people’s lives were saved by the actions we took here in Canada. The outcome was over 1500 people are alive in our community because we took those diffi cult steps. And I think we should all remember that when we look back at those hard years, that the sacrifi ces weren’t for naught. It made a real impact.”

Hirji said that the pandemic response in Canada was “unifi ed,” unlike in the United States, where the pandemic became a heated political issue.

“In Canada, people on both sides of the political spectrum, by and large, got vaccinated and took the pandemic seriously,” he said. “Because we have local public health systems here in Canada, we were able to customize the response somewhat to address the local risks.”

Forget about herd immunity as a salvation at this point, said Hirji, because the virus is mutating so quickly that vaccines become less eff ective. Currently, the infection prevention rate of vaccines is between 20 and 40 percent.

“But the point to highlight is that over 90 percent of hospitalizations and deaths are still prevented by the boosters,” said Hirji. “I think almost everybody agrees vaccinations absolutely have to be part of what we do. If you haven’t gotten a booster dose this fall, if you’re age 12 or older, absolutely go out and get it, since it’s your best protection for the coming wave that we’re going to see this fall, and is protection against those new variants that are arriving.”

Hirji said that vaccines are going to continue to be part of a baseline level of protection, but that a societal adaptation is required, involving masking in congested areas, moving events outdoors, staying home when sick, and providing sick leave for all, in order to minimize the negative impacts of viral mutations and infections.

Asked which brand of vaccine booster is “best,” Hirji responded that “the more important message is that it doesn’t matter which one you get. Both Moderna and Pfi zer have come out with a booster dose that addresses the Omicron variant. I chose to get the Moderna shot, because during the pandemic it has performed a little bit better, but the Pfi zer dose is absolutely a good choice as well.”

As far as possible government mandates around masking and future lockdowns, Hirji said “the sense I get is that governments around the world are tired of dealing with the pandemic and all its costs, and they’re hoping that if they don’t do anything, we’ll kind of muddle through, and make out not too bad. My view is that we’re seeing a society that is less healthy, less equal. Our healthcare system is less sustainable, and we are less economically prosperous because we’re still allowing Covid-19 to spread. I don’t know why government isn’t taking more action.”

Seniors and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk from Covid-19, and Hirji was asked whether the oral antiviral medication Paxlovid should be considered for use by this segment of the population.

“Paxlovid can have side eff ects like muscle aches and fatigue, and can be quite harmful to the liver and kidneys,” he said. “Your doctor has to do some blood testing before prescribing this medication. But for those at higher risk, it absolutely does prevent people from dying.”

Brock University immunologist and Associate Professor of Health Sciences Adam MacNeil, commenting in a recent Brock News article, supported Hirji’s perspective on containing viruses. MacNeil advocates that people be vaccinated against Covid-19, and also get a fl u shot, explaining that the immune system recognizes the infl uenza and SARSCoV-2 viruses as being two distinct entities.

“Flu and Covid vaccines do not overlap, and people should strongly consider getting both, especially if they have vulnerable immune systems,” said MacNeil. The latest Covid vaccine is “bivalent,” which means the booster targets the original strain plus subvariants arising from the Omicron strain.

Unlike the fl u, Covid-19 can cause problems in tissues and organs that may persist after infection—“long Covid”—and can cause infl ammation of the blood vessels, affecting the brain and heart, he said.

“To give yourself the best possible protection against the expected surge in infl uenza and SARS-CoV-2 this fall, do yourself and your community a favour, and get both vaccines as soon as you are eligible, wear a well-fi tting N95 respirator when in crowded indoor locations or when ventilation and air fi ltration is poor, and practice distancing,” MacNeil said.

said, “Okay, we don’t have to do anything today.” He started packing the gold back into the toolbox and nodded at the fl oor. “We need to fi x that.”

Emma said, “I don’t know. It’s pretty deep. Do we just put cement over it?”

Matt started up the stairs and Emma followed.

“Easy enough to fi nd out. Thank god for Google.”

Lofthill’s main business street was like those in a lot of small towns in southern Ontario since the exodus from Toronto really started to kick in a few years before— architecturally a mix of warm heritage and cold modernity. It was also hard to tell sometimes if a business was brand new and just opened by over-inked millennials trying to fake the retro, or if it had really been in the same spot since before one or both world wars.

The dry goods and hardware store had been there for generations. It was one of the fi rst places Matt and Emma had walked into when they’d moved to town, and they loved it. The plastic tubs of bolts. The off -brand spray paints. The Whirlpool skyline of bright white appliances ranged along the wall. They weren’t sure if they loved it ironically or just appreciated that the store almost always had what they needed and the people working there knew what they were doing—and actually seemed happy doing it. Cheeriness was in short supply lately.

But now the guy behind the cash was saying, “I don’t know where you’d go for that, not around here,” and this surprised Matt. He looked at Emma and smiled a little.

The customer, a middle-aged man Emma recognized from their street, said, “I can get it online, I guess, I just didn’t want to wait.”

He turned and walked out, the little bell jingling as the door closed, and Matt said to the guy, “I’m pretty sure you have what I need—a bag of pre-mixed concrete.”

“That we have. What’s it for?” He led the way to the back of the store and Matt followed.

“Just a patch job.”

“Outdoor, indoor?”

“Indoor,” Matt said. “Basement fl oor.”

“Old house?”

“Not that old, three years.”

“These new houses are just thrown together. They need to be fi xed more than the old ones.”

Matt said, “That’s for sure,” and then listened while the guy explained about the diff erent kinds of mixes.

Back at the register Emma pulled a box of mint Girl Guide cookies from the stack and put it on the counter with the concrete.

When they were paying the guy said, “It’s crazy how much prices have gone up.”

Matt had no idea how much a bag of concrete mix —or Girl Guide mints— used to cost, but he said, “Like everything else,” and that was true enough.

Emma nodded toward the door as she opened the cookies and off ered them to the men. “What did that other guy want that you didn’t have?”

A shriek came from outside. They turned to see a group of tweens walking along the sidewalk. A blonde girl laughed loudly as she fl irted with a shorter boy.

Matt took a cookie while the hardware guy nodded no.

“Oh, it was weird. A metal detector.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I’ve never had anyone ask for one of those before and now that was the second time today.”

Emma barely tasted the cookie as she chewed.

Matt said, “Really?”

The guy pushed the cash register closed. “You heard about the body they found over by the community center?”

“I was walking our dog,” Emma said, “I saw all the police.”

“They say the dead guy was looking for something, going through the houses in the new development—”

He handed the receipt to Matt.

“—with a metal detector.”

Matt folded the receipt carefully. “The cops said that?”

“I don’t know anything about the cops, but apparently the guy went through a few houses and you know the way people talk. Now everybody wants to fi gure out what he was looking for, maybe fi nd it themselves.”

Emma looked at Matt. “That’s so bizarre.”

The guy tapped the counter. “Sure is.” E

As they walked back to the car, Emma glanced at Matt.

“What are we going to do?”

“What do you mean? Nothing.”

“Everybody’s looking for what he was looking for.”

Matt opened the Mini’s hatch and dropped in the bag of cement. “So, let them look.” He slammed the hatch and stepped close to Emma. “They’re not going to fi nd anything.”

“A fresh patch in the basement is going to look pretty suspicious.”

“We already talked to the cops, there’s nothing to worry about.” Matt jingled his keys. “So we put down a throw rug. It’s going to be fi ne.”

Emma looked at her refl ection in the car’s rear window. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, we’re out here with the countryfolk now, there’s nothing to worry about. We stay cool.”

Matt walked around the car and got in behind the wheel, and after a moment Emma walked to the passenger side.

Down near the pizzeria more shrieks came from the tweens who had walked by before—and then, suddenly, real screams.

The group scattered—some pushing inside the pizzeria, the rest running back along the sidewalk toward Matt and Emma. Two skinny dogs loped behind them.

“Emma,” Matt yelled from inside the Mini, “Get in the car.”

As the kids bolted past the hardware store something slipped from one of their hands—a cellphone. It hit the concrete with a sickening crack, breaking the screen. The dogs stopped to sniff it. Then Emma realized they weren’t dogs. They were coyotes.

Two mangy coyotes, just fur and bones, one with a limp.

And now they fi xed their attention on Emma, still standing next to the Mini.

Matt blasted the horn. “Emma—get in!”

The coyotes didn’t move. They tilted their heads a bit as they watched Emma, their nostrils quivering. One, then the other, inched forward.

She couldn’t believe how intelligent their eyes were. They didn’t blink, and neither did she. They were calculating the odds. She’d seen the news lately about aggressive coyotes in Niagara, even in the GTA. Constantly getting bolder.

Matt cracked open the passenger window. “Emma, for chrissake, what are you doing.”

She looked down at her hands and saw the cookie box as if for the fi rst time. Now the animals were ten feet away. How far could a hungry coyote jump?

Careful not to aim directly at them, Emma threw the box over their heads. It split open as it hit the sidewalk.

They pounced on it, snarling and snapping at each other as Emma got into the Mini. She pressed the door lock, and fastened her shoulder belt.

Matt stared at her.

“What was that?”

She wasn’t sure why or what, but Emma realized she understood something, something she maybe didn’t want to know just yet.

“You said it was going to be fi ne, to stay cool,” she said, watching the coyotes chew through the box.

“I was practicing being cool.”

Vineridge Stables

COUNTRY FALL FAIR