KITCHENER -- A COVID-19 outbreak related to a wedding as grown to 11 cases.
Officials declared an outbreak on March 6. On Monday, they reported five cases related to the outbreak. As of Tuesday, the region's COVID-19 dashboard showed it had grown to 11 cases.
In an emailed statement to CTV Kitchener on Monday, Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Rabia Bana said an investigation showed transmission in the wedding setting.
"We are investigating, working with the place of worship, and contacting all high risk contacts," the statement from Dr. Bana said in part. "We will be following up with high risk contacts individually to provide further guidance."
In a statement on Tuesday, Dr. Bana said six of the cases are residents in Waterloo Region.
"All cases related to this event, even those who do not live in Waterloo Region, are reported on our dashboard on our outbreak table. However, out of region residents are managed by the health unit where they reside and those cases are not included towards the total case count for Waterloo Region. This is consistent with how we have reported cases related to other outbreaks," the statement said in part.
Dr. Bana added there are a high number of contacts in relation to the outbreak, due to the nature of the exposure and enhanced case and contact management for positive cases in the region.
"Increases to the total case count for this outbreak is not unexpected given that high risk contacts have been advised to self-isolate and seek testing," the statement said.
The statement also said public health isn't naming the facility, because officials said the name is only necessary if public health is unable to identify high-risk contacts.
Dr. Bana said there's no need for enforcement action at this time.
