COVID-19 cases up 50%
Officials expect things in the region will get worse before they get better
New cases are spiking to their highest levels since the pandemic began, and the situation will get worse before there’s any sign of improvement, predicts the Region of Waterloo’s medical officer of health.
“If as a community we do not aggressively reduce our social interactions, we will spiral into a lockdown due to the growth in cases that has already occurred. It will get worse before it gets better,” said Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang at the weekly briefing November 27.
By midweek, there were 591 active cases of COVID19, a 54 per cent increase from the 385 a week earlier. Twenty-seven people are currently hospitalized, with nine in intensive care.
The total number since the pandemic began rose to 3,663, of which 2,976 have been resolved, a recovery rate of 81.2 per cent. One new fatality last week brought the region’s total to 125.
Public health officials are currently monitoring outbreaks in 25 locations, including Village Manor in St. Jacobs, where the disease struck 20 residents and 11 staff members, causing one fatality. The outbreak last week prompted the province to put the facility under the control of St. Mary’s General Hospital, which
Monday reported positive improvements – 15 residents are considered resolved cases, no longer at risk of infecting others with COVID-19 and have moved through COVID-19 themselves. Two residents remain positive, with another four in hospital.
Grand River Hospital also reported an outbreak last week in one of its medicine units, 5S.
“Three patients who received care on the 5S unit have now tested positive for COVID-19. Two staff, who provided care to these patients, have also tested positive. We have processes in place to identify individuals with symptoms and initiate protocols to reduce the risk of transmission to others,” said Bonnie Camm, GRH executive vice president, clinical services, in a release.
The rapid increase in cases across the region sees the municipality remain in the “red” classification under the provincial framework, the final rating ahead of a lockdown. Wang, however, doesn’t expect to see a move in that direction just yet, with a decision based on the COVID-19 count over the next few weeks.
“It’s not entirely clear because there are no quantitative measures for lockdown. It’s a qualitative assessment that red measures have not had the impact that the province is hoping for,” said Wang, noting that some GTA hotspots were transitioned into lockdowns following no decrease in the trajectory of cases for those regions.
With so many new cases, the region has found it increasingly difficult to maintain contact management initiatives, with Wang pointing out that residents continue to let their guard down in workplace settings and often don’t follow public health measures.
“It’s still a lot of contacts, and sometimes one person leads to several