'I think it’s just a matter of when': Medical officer of health expects Omicron variant to hit Waterloo Region
Region of Waterloo Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang says she fully expects the new Omicron variant to hit Waterloo Region.
"Although no local cases have been identified yet, I would not be surprised to hear of cases in Waterloo Region at any time," Dr. Wang said during a COVID-19 community update on Friday.
She says it’s unlikely the variant hasn’t been detected here yet because Public Health Ontario has been doing genomic testing of all COVID-19 samples. However, Wang adds there is about a one week lag from when Public Health Ontario receives a case and when it's sampled.
Dr. Wang reiterated it's no longer a question of 'if' the Omicron variant will arrive in the region.
"I think it’s just a matter of when," Dr. Wang said.
She added that when Omicron cases are detected locally, the region won't go back to ground zero because there is enough vaccine supply, and the right resources in place to combat it.
COVID-19 CASES AMONG CHILDREN
During the update, Dr. Wang said cases are happening more frequently in unvaccinated people, including children.
Dr. Wang said she anticipates the rising number of cases in school-aged children will continue until more of them are immunized.
Public health says more than 83 per cent of eligible residents aged five and older with received their first dose, while 79 per cent of eligible residents five and older are fully vaccinated.
As of Thursday, 8,613 doses have been administered to children five to 11 years old.
NOTABLE OVERALL TRENDS
When it comes to overall trends, Dr. Wang says waste water data shows the virus is widespread in the region, but public health is making progress toward administering third doses, with 24,000 shots already given.
The seven-day average of COVID-19 cases in the region is 34 per 100,000 each week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.