Waterloo Region delays move into Step 2
The Region of Waterloo won't move into Step 2 next week with the rest of Ontario.
In a news release on Thursday morning, local officials said they made the decision based on "current data and the prevalence of the Delta variant locally."
“To give our residents more time to be vaccinated, to avoid having to take a step back, and based on our situation at this time, I anticipate the Region of Waterloo will be able to move into Step 2 in mid-July,” Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said in the release. “This approach gives us the best chance to hold onto the gains we have made.”
Dr. Wang said the region will be better able to predict a move into Step 2 in the coming weeks.
“I fully understand that pausing our move to Step 2 will greatly impact many in our community,” Chair Karen Redman said in the release. “We are in one of the most critical phases of the pandemic locally and this decision is made with the health and safety of all of our community at heart.”
Expanded second dose eligibility expanded in Waterloo Region on Wednesday. Accelerated second doses are available to anyone who received an mRNA vaccine on or before May 30.
More than 75 per cent of residents over the age of 18 have received at least one dose, and 21 per cent are considered fully vaccinated.
"We're going to be watching very closely what's going on in Waterloo to ensure that it doesn't spread in the southwest region. We're also watching Porcupine, North Bay and Grey Bruce. What will get us through is increasing our immunization rates," said Ontario's incoming Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore. "I absolutely hope that our local public health agencies, in partnership with the ministry, can get the Delta activity under control that is slowly increasing in some jurisdictions in Ontario."
“Without the power of the vaccine and without thousands and thousands of our residents getting vaccinated at our clinics, in pharmacies and at family doctors’ offices – our COVID-19 numbers would have grown exponentially over the last few weeks due to the Delta variant,” Dr. Wang said. “Maximizing the number of our residents who get a first and then second dose is our way out, and I urge all residents to get their first and second doses as soon as they are available to them. In addition to the regional clinics, we have over 123 pharmacies in our region giving out vaccine and many family medicine practices doing the same.”
The rest of Ontario will move into Step 2 on June 30. That step includes outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people, indoor gatherings up to five people, expanded capacity in retail stores, and reopening of personal care services as long as face coverings can be worn.
Premier Doug Ford addressed Waterloo Region's reopening delay in a statement on Thursday.
"Today I spoke with Regional Chair Karen Redman and Waterloo Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wang about the ongoing challenges facing the Waterloo Region, particularly their fight against the Delta Variant," Ford said. "The province is doing everything possible to support the Waterloo Region at this time."
He said the province has allocated more than 44,000 additional vaccine doses to the region, along with a mobile team capable of administering more than 500 doses per day in high-priority areas.
"We will continue to be there for the people of Kitchener-Waterloo, and will provide the local public health unit with additional vaccines and resources should they need them," Ford said. "Every day Ontario gets closer and closer to defeating this virus, and we won’t rest until every corner of our province is able to reopen and get back to life as we knew it before COVID-19."
With files from CTV Kitchener's Max Martin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.