Waterloo region residents cautioned to go slow as Step 3 will increase risk of COVID-19 spread

People in Waterloo region are being cautioned not to let their guard down as the region moves into Step 3 of the provincial reopening plan on Friday.

The next step allows for larger social gatherings and more businesses and services to open. But Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's medical officer of health, warned people still need to take precautions to stay healthy.

"Delta continues to circulate and Step 3 will increase the risks of spread," Wang said Wednesday night during a board of health meeting. Delta is the variant also known as B1617 first detected in India.

"Be cautious as you add more activities," she added.

"We need our community's continued help. The higher our immunization rates, the better protected we will be and the less we'll need to rely on restrictions to keep us safe."

Wang noted people should continue to avoid closed spaces, especially those with poor ventilation, and crowded spaces. Meeting up with people outside is safer than inside, she said.

She also asked people to think about those in their life who could still be impacted by COVID-19, even if fully vaccinated.

"It's important that we do not let up now, not only to be able to achieve the next step of reopening, but most importantly to protect ourselves as much as possible from the delta variant," she said.

Jump in vaccinations

The region's CAO Bruce Lauckner says the community has come a long way compared to a month ago in terms of vaccinations.

"We now have one of the highest first dose coverage rates in Ontario," Lauckner told regional councillors, who also serve as the board of health. "We've caught up at light speed to the rest of the province for second doses."

As of Thursday's update, there were 81.21 per cent of adults who had received a first dose and 57.20 per cent who had received the second dose.

When looking at those aged 12 and up, the number of people with first doses was 68.86 per cent and 47.16 per cent who have both doses.

He noted young people between the ages of 12 and 17 were getting vaccinated. On Thursday, the dashboard showed 66.4 per cent of people in that age group were vaccinated.

"Really proud that we're one of the provincial leaders in vaccinating that age group," he said.

Pressure to 'open everything else up'

Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry said it was "very exciting to see the number of people who got vaccinated," but said she's concerned some people may see Step 3 as a full reopening.

"I know that there's a huge amount of community pressure for us to suddenly open everything else up," she said.

"The fact is, we're fully vaccinated, and we will likely avoid serious illness, but that doesn't mean we're out of the woods."

Wang agreed, noting the vaccine is not 100 per cent effective. As well, she noted as more people are immunized and delta is circulating, it will mean people are still exposed to the virus. The vaccine won't prevent all cases, but in the vast majority of cases, it will help keep people from becoming really sick.

"What we're seeing across the world is exactly that … when there is a very rapid loosening of restrictions, in particular no more distancing and masking, country after country what we see is this significant, major surge of delta that comes next," she said.

The hockey hub vaccination clinic at Bingemans in Kitchener will continue until Sunday. Lauckner says after that, the region will look to do more drive-thrus, mobile clinics and pop-ups.

When it comes to getting the last group of people vaccinated, Lauckner said the region needs to make it as easy as possible for people.

"That last mile is always the hardest," he said.

24 new cases reported

Region of Waterloo Public Health reported 24 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. There were no new deaths.

The region has 242 active cases and 15 active outbreaks. The outbreaks are:

• Workplaces: Eight.
• Long-term care or retirement homes: Two.
• Hospitals: Two.
• Congregate settings: Two.
• Child care or summer camp: One.

The hospitals in Waterloo region reported 26 people with COVID-19 were in their care:

• St. Mary's General Hospital: 12 patients, three in ICU.
• Grand River Hospital: Eight patients, three in ICU.
• Cambridge Memorial Hospital: Six patients, one in ICU.

Those numbers reflect the number of people considered "actively infectious," and additional patients who were no longer infectious were not included in those numbers.

The region's dashboard reported 14 people are in ICU, but that number included people who were infectious and people whose COVID-19 is resolved and who were no longer infectious, but still require treatment in the ICU.

In a release, Cambridge Memorial Hospital's president and CEO Patrick Gaskin said COVID-19 patients continue to be admitted to the three hospitals in Waterloo region.

"The number of COVID-positive patients in our hospitals has stabilized but has not yet begun following the downward trend of cases in our region. Typically hospitalization numbers lag up to two weeks behind other indicators," he said.

"While vaccinations have helped improve the situation in Waterloo region, those who are unvaccinated will continue to get sick and end up in our hospitals. We must continue to be vigilant in our public health measures until enough people have been fully vaccinated. We're hopeful that our vaccination uptake will remain high and more people will choose to get their shots."