Double vaxxed? Don't let your guard down, says region's medical officer of health

Contact tracers in Waterloo region have noticed a worrying trend: fully vaccinated people who've stopped following public health precautions and become infected with COVID-19 as a result. 

It's happening during close, unprotected contact with other people — especially during large gatherings, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said at a media briefing Friday. 

"It is important that everyone understand that vaccination, while it is the most powerful layer of protection we can add in our fight against COVID-19, cannot be the only tool we rely on to get us through the fourth wave," said Wang, who is the region's medical officer of health. 

The specific type of gathering can vary, Wang said, from house parties and birthday parties to barbecues and weddings. 

What's important, she said, is that even fully-vaccinated people avoid what she called the three "C's'": 

• Closed spaces. 
• Crowded places.
• Unprotected close contact.

Wherever possible, Wang recommended keeping gatherings small, wearing face coverings, maintaining distancing and hosting gatherings outside, or in a well-ventilated indoor space. 

Vaccination update

As of Friday, roughly 87 per cent of eligible people in Waterloo region age 12 and up have had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 80 per cent have been fully vaccinated. 

A small number of people in the region are getting third doses of the vaccine, if they are at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 or because they have a condition that limits their ability to mount a good immune response. So far, 1,391 third doses have been administered, according to police Deputy Chief Shirley Hilton, who leads the region's vaccine task force. 

A mobile vaccination bus will be at various locations in the community in the days to come. Some dates include: 

• Cambridge Fall Fair on Sept. 11. 
• Fairway Station at Fairview Park Mall on Sept.16. 
• St. Jacob's on Sept. 18. 

A mobile vaccination bus will bring vaccines to under-served communities. The bus will be at the Cambridge Fall Fair this weekend. St Jacob's on Sept. 18 and Fairway Station at Fairview Park Mall Sept. 16 

On Friday, the region reported 33 new cases of COVID-19, two of which were identified as a variant of concern. 

There are currently 194 active cases in the region and seven people hospitalized with the virus. 

Meanwhile, there are four active outbreaks in the region. 

• One at Pluto Day Care with two active cases. 
• One at a manufacturing/industrial facility with four cases. 
• One at a dental office with two cases. 
• One at Victoria Place Retirement Home with two cases.