Reconsider large holiday parties, Waterloo region's medical officer says as COVID-19 case rates rise

People may want to reconsider plans to host or attend large holiday gatherings as COVID-19 case rates rise in Waterloo region, medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang says.

That message comes as Waterloo region saw 32 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. One new death was also reported by the region, a man in his 70s, which brought the total number of COVID-related deaths to 309 in the community.

"I do strongly discourage gatherings of a seasonal nature at this time. Or, if you're going to hold them, have the smallest in-person gatherings that you can," Wang said Tuesday during a regional council committee of the whole meeting.

"I recognize it's not the message that people were hoping to hear because I think many people were hoping to be able to finally get together with colleagues and friends and family this year in greater numbers."

Wang said it's not just rising case rates that sparked this recommendation — the omicron variant is also a factor. While it has not yet been found in Waterloo region, Wang said she expects to see the variant in the community "at any time."

Regional council also serves as the board of health. Coun. Jim Erb said "while we don't want to be Scrooge on this," he agreed the community needs to hear the message that holiday gatherings cannot be large.

"I've been aware of a couple of organizations who have sent that information out to their employees, where they knew they had planned some parties and they respectfully requested them to cancel them and I'm hoping that can be part of our messaging," he said.

Wang isn't alone in recommending people skip the large parties this year. 

Dr. Peter Juni, the scientific director of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table, said for anyone planning a large party to "forget it, do small."

"You can meet with your extended family in summer. Not this Christmas. Not with omicron around," he told CBC Thunder Bay.

9 outbreaks at schools

There were 14 outbreaks in the region on Tuesday, nine of them at schools:

• Southridge Public School in Kitchener with eight cases over multiple cohorts. The school is closed to in-person learning until Jan. 3.
• St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Elementary School in Cambridge with five cases over multiple cohorts.
• Saint John Paul II Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener with four cases.
• Mary Johnston Public School in Waterloo with two cases.
• Sir Adam Beck Public School in Baden with two cases.
• Forest Glen Public School in New Hamburg with two cases.
• Lester B. Pearson Public School in Waterloo with two cases.
• Cedar Creek Public School in Ayr with two cases.
• Glencairn Public School in Kitchener with two cases.

The outbreak at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener, which saw 20 cases over multiple cohorts, was declared over on Monday. Students returned to in-person learning on Monday.

The other five outbreaks were:

• A retail store with four cases.
• A transportation workplace with three cases.
• A construction workplace with three cases.
• One related to ringette with two cases.
• An automobile sales and service workplace with two cases.

The region's vaccine dashboard showed 75.27 per cent of all residents have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

As well, 27.55 per cent of children aged five to 11 have received their first dose of the vaccine. Children aged four and younger are not yet eligible for the vaccine.