WATERLOO REGION -- Local officials did not mince words: they are all worried about the Omicron variant and its impact on Waterloo Region’s health system.
However, they all noted during Friday’s COVID-19 briefing there has been tremendous progress in the past twenty months that will help Waterloo Region residents fight what is said to be the biggest COVID-19 wave yet.
“Imagine the risk we would be facing if we didn’t have 75 per cent of our population already with two doses,” noted Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, Waterloo Region’s medical officer of health. “We’ve come a long way. I think it’s easy to forget that because of the magnitude of what we know is coming our way.”
“We are in a better place as a health system to respond,” added Lee Fairclough, the president of St. Mary’s Hospital and hospital lead for Waterloo-Wellington Hospitals.
Fairclough recalled at the start of 2020, healthcare leaders were wondering what COVID-19 testing really meant, staff members had to learn new infection protocols, and overwhelmed hospitals had to find ways to create new bed space.
“There’s a lot net new there. There’s a lot net new capacity. We have a lab system. We have a testing system. We have a vaccine system. And we also have incredible partnerships,” said Fairclough,
Fairclough did say she is worried about the impact Omicron will have on local hospitals.
“But I think we are in a much better place to at least address that and come together quickly to do that,” Fairclough added.
The region’s Chief Administration Officer admitted the fear he had right before the pandemic.
“I remember the first call from the Minister’s office in January 2020. I was at a volleyball tournament and my wife looked at me because I was very very pale and frankly scared. Cause I thought we are years and years and years before we even develop a vaccine,” said Bruce Lauckner. “
Lauckner reflected on the more than five million people world-wide who have since died from COVID-19.
But then he thanked the community for adhering to public health measures and getting vaccinated.
“How many people were saved because of the measurements taken before we received COVID-19 vaccines. How many will continue to be saved in the near and short term because of the measures we will take, including in the coming weeks,” said Lauckner.
Meanwhile, the lead of Waterloo Region’s vaccine task force said her role in this pandemic began almost exactly a year ago.
“One year ago I was working up to set a vaccine clinic, I think we had a week and half notice,” said Vickie Murray. “We did ten doses our first day, and we were pretty excited to do a 100 the second day. And very soon we are going to reach a million doses. So we have come a long way.”
