85% of eligible people in Waterloo region are fully vaccinated ahead of Thanksgiving weekend

As people in Waterloo region prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving long weekend, public health officials reported 85 per cent of people aged 12 and older have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

As well, 89.65 per cent of eligible people have their first dose.

Waterloo region reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. 

There were seven outbreaks, including one new outbreak at Trinity Village retirement home where two people have tested positive for the virus. It's the first outbreak at a long-term care or retirement home in the region in nearly a month.

There are two outbreaks at area schools and one at a child care centre:

• Woodland Christian High School in Breslau with six cases over multiple cohorts.
• JF Carmichael Public School in Kitchener with three cases.
• Garderie Des Lutins child care in Kitchener with three cases.

Other outbreaks were:

• A food processor with four cases.
• A gym with two cases.
• A congregate setting with one case.

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's medical officer of health, said urged people to continue to be cautious when celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends this weekend, despite the high vaccination coverage.

She said people can use layers of protection such as wearing a mask, physical distancing, keeping gatherings small, ensuring good ventilation like being outdoors or opening the windows — on top of being vaccinated.

"Employ as many layers as you can," she said, especially when around children who cannot be vaccinated. 

"We have seen here, as well as in other places of Ontario, unfortunately frequent spread when there has been large gatherings with large numbers of unvaccinated people who are close together," she said in an interview on CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition.

Listen to the full interview with Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang: