Thought of the Day - July 2 2021 - Ontario's Hot Spot

Last week a special statement was issued by Kitchener-Waterloo, as they are a hotspot. No, not a heat warning, it is a COVID variant warning. The Waterloo Region is currently seeing over five times the Ontario (and Canadian) average in new cases.

Three more Waterloo Region residents died of COVID-19 on Wednesday, all seniors, as health officials confirmed another 60 new infections on Wednesday.

Another 93 cases were confirmed as variants of concern bringing the total number of variant cases in the region to 3,891. 86 of these were confirmed as the Delta variant, now the dominant strain in the region.

The latest tally are:

• 3,083 are the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom and originally known as B.1.1.7;

• 11 are the Beta variant, originally detected in South Africa and previously referred to as B.1.315;

• 61 are the Gamma variant, initially discovered in Brazil and labelled as P.1;

• 422 are the Delta variant, first found in India and called B.1.617.2;

• 314 cases have a detected mutation but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed.

Three more outbreaks were also declared in the past day, bringing the total number of active outbreaks to 22. Most of the outbreaks are in workplace or facility settings. That said, outbreak-related cases only make up about 13 percent of cases, most are wide-spread community transmissions.

In response, Waterloo is changing its process concerning COVID-19 vaccines. There have been numerous problems with the automated booking system launched last month; problems such as cancelled vaccine appointments are not being released for rebooking, and confirmation texts getting blocked. So starting yesterday, people seeking their first shot can walk into any vaccination clinic in the region without an appointment. Also, a drive-thru vaccination site will be opening in Kitchener, at Bingemans, on Saturday to offer residents an accessible option.

In addition, fines for COVID infractions have been stepped up, with more than 30 "new enforcement actions" being handed out over the past week, four of which were for not wearing a face-covering at various locations in Kitchener and Cambridge.

While Ontario recently moved their Step 2 reopening up a week to June 30, the Waterloo Region is likely to continue with Step 1 well into July.

Unfortunately, teams from Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge took part in baseball practices Wednesday night to protest Waterloo Region’s delayed reopening rules that prevent organized games from being played, while teams in other areas of the province are allowed - ah, first-world problems.

On a positive note, things are starting to improve a little. Active cases in Waterloo Region dropped by 41 on Wednesday, down to 416. Hospitalizations also dipped by one on Wednesday, with 55 people now hospitalized with the disease; of those, 24 are receiving treatment in intensive care units.

Let's hope all people in the region "play ball" so that case rates will continue to improve.

Cheers

Cliff