‘We must continue the fight’

Six more COVID-19 deaths in region’s nursing homes; another outbreak declared

WATERLOO REGION — Waterloo Region’s top medical official warned the COVID-19 situation remains “very precarious” and now is not the time to relax measures.

“It is a very sad time in our community, but we must continue the fight. We must not give up. We must give it our all,” said acting medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang.

While the province unveiled on Monday its plan for reopening the economy and loosening restrictions, Wang said it is imperative to not move any faster — even if the weather is getting nicer and people are itching to get outdoors and socialize.

“We absolutely need to stay the course because if we don’t do that in addition to the spread that we are now battling in the long-term care homes and retirement homes, we could have a very quick rise in community cases again if we do not stay the course,” Wang said.

“Please continue to stay at home as much as possible. Please continue to practise physical distancing when you’re out. Please do not think that things are getting better to the point that we can start to do our normal activities again.”

Regional Chair Karen Redman added that the weekend announcement that schools will stay closed until at least the end of May is a sign the fight against COVID-19 continues locally and across the province.

“That really is an indication that in Ontario we are not ready to resume business as usual, and that includes leisure activities, going to work and going to school,” Redman said.

Six more COVID-19 deaths in the region were reported on Monday morning to reach a total of 61.

All six deaths were in nursing homes; five at Forest Heights Revera and one at Trinity Village, both in Kitchener. Deaths in long-term care or retirement homes have risen to 82 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths in the region.

Outbreaks are declared at 10 longterm care and retirement homes across the region. The latest one declared Sunday is due to a single case among a staff member at Highview Place retirement home in Kitchener.

Eight outbreaks have been declared over.

Forest Heights has been the hardest hit, now reporting 133 cases in residents, 53 cases in staff and 32

deaths.

Wang said the local health system response team is working closely with homes in outbreak, and available to help any experiencing difficulty. Extra support needed varies from day to day, but as much as possible the homes and team predict in advance what might be needed.

“It’s a very fluid process. It’s constantly being updated,” Wang said.

The Monday update by public health is just an additional six on Sunday’s 677 confirmed cases for a total of 683. Of the current local cases, 259 are resolved and 32 are hospitalized.

That surge in hospitalizations is almost as high as since it last peaked on April 6 at 36. There was also a bump in new cases outside nursing homes over the weekend.

Wang said it was expected to see more cases with expanded testing.

“We’ll have to monitor the hospitalizations closely as well. To date they’ve been manageable,” she said. “We need to continue to monitor that.”

Wang cautioned that the increases don’t necessarily point to a worsening situation.

“We have to look at these trends on a bit of a longer-term basis rather than just day to day,” she said. “They can fluctuate a bit like this, but the overall trend is one we have to keep an eye on.”

The increase in hospitalizations is likely connected to the numerous outbreaks in longterm care.

“We do know that some of the patients that are in these homes get hospitalized. Just because the hospitalizations increase, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re community cases. We’re still mostly seeing consequences of the long-term care home and retirement home outbreaks.”

Domestic violence

Redman, who is chair of the Waterloo Regional Police Services board, urged people to speak up if they suspect abuse of a child, relative or neighbour. Since the COVID-19 isolation orders came into effect, she said there’s been an increase in domestic violence and a decrease of reports for suspected child abuse.

“If you see something, say something,” Redman said. “We need citizens to speak up for those who don’t have a voice or don’t have access to help.”