Close contact continues to drive spread of Delta variant in Waterloo Region: Dr. Wang
Waterloo Region's top doctor says close contact continues to be the driving force behind the local spread of COVID-19.
"At this time, our case rates aren't continuing to accelerate, but our situation remains extremely fragile," Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said at a Committee on the Whole meeting on Tuesday morning.
According to Dr. Wang, spread of the disease is mostly due to close contacts. Since April 1, she said close contact transmission has accounted for more cases of COVID-19 than all other transmission types combined.
"In the presence of others outside of your immediate household, please remember three things," Dr. Wang said. "One, keep your distance. Two, wear a face covering. Three, only hold gatherings outdoors."
She said the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, continues to circulate widely in the region and is mostly targeting people who haven't received a COVID-19 vaccine at all, or those who have only had one dose. Dr. Wang added that's similar to what health units are seeing across Ontario.
"What's happening here could happen anywhere," Dr. Wang said.
Last week, Dr. Wang said the Delta variant is the dominant strain in Waterloo Region. Local officials are working to accelerate both first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines for local residents.
"Vaccines are our most powerful tool and are very effective against severe illness and hospitalization," Dr. Wang said. "We're the canary in the coal mine in terms of what can happen when Delta takes off and spreads through the community."
The spike in cases locally is due to usual risk factors, along with the more transmissible Delta variant, Dr. Wang said. She added it's similar to the spread of the Alpha variant, first identified in the U.K., throughout the GTA during the third wave of the COVID-19 in Ontario.
"Delta has gotten a foothold, spreading quickly and widely," she said. "It's looking for any vulnerability and there is still vulnerability in our region because there are still a proportion of people are unimmunized."
Dr. Wang also reminded people to get the first vaccine available to them, adding it is safe to mix Pfizer and Moderna between first and second doses.
"Both are highly and equally effective," she said. "They're like twins."
EXPANDING VACCINE AVAILABILITY WITH INCREASED SUPPLY
Regional officials plan to ramp up both first and second doses as vaccine supply increases.
Starting Wednesday, walk-in appointments will be available at The Boardwalk, Health Sciences and Waterloo Region Public Health for first doses. Dr. Wang said they're working the Ministry of Health to offer mobile vaccine clinics as soon as possible.
"We have gotten out the vaccine as quickly as we've gotten it in," she said.
They're also working with community partners to target high-priority areas, and working on campaigns to encourage vaccination uptake in all age groups.
CHANGES TO BOOKING SYSTEM
Waterloo Region will launch a new vaccine booking system on Wednesday, which will allow people to forego the pre-registration process and book their appointment directly.
The new system will also allow people to reschedule an earlier second dose appointment. Starting Wednesday, anyone who received an mRNA vaccine on or before May 30 is eligible for an accelerated second dose.
Anyone who previously filled out a second dose request form will be invited to book a new appointment on Tuesday before the region transitions to its new booking system.
The system will also cancel appointments once a new one is confirmed.
Officials warned the new system might be very busy on Wednesday as more people become eligible for a second dose.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.