The race to get COVID-19 vaccines in arms has taken on greater urgency as the Delta variant spreads through Waterloo region at a faster rate than any other strain of the virus.
During a Friday media briefing on local efforts to prevent the spread, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang outlined how everyone should continue to remain diligent in following public health guidelines and get vaccinated as soon as possible.
“We can build a wall of protection by getting vaccinated,” said Wang.
That wall was breached earlier this month when international travel was identified in some of the first Delta variant cases confirmed in the region.
Wang said two residents who tested positive for the now dominant variant were traced to travel to the Baffinland Iron Mines in Nunavut where they unknowingly came in close contact with infected individuals.
Wang said the people from the region that have travelled are under federal quarantine measures and there have been no known issues with travellers breaking quarantine.
In the case of the Baffinland Mine exposures, Wang said the extent of the outbreak was unknown and many people coming back from the mine weren’t aware they were in high-risk contact.
The Red Cross has since deployed support to aid with contact tracing at the mine.
“If we didn’t have the immunization rates we already do in Waterloo Region, the situation would have been much worse,” Wang said.
Between June 6 and 12, 65 per cent of new cases in the region were confirmed as the Delta variant.
Close contact remains the main driver in Waterloo region, Wang said, adding she'll be monitoring numbers closely over the next few days to determine if the region needs to delay Step Two of the province's reopening framework.
"What I'm looking for are signs of stabilization of the spread and eventually control and slowing of the spread.
“We need to keep building our wall and it needs to be stronger than ever before."
Starting Monday, anyone who received their first shot on or before May 30 will be eligible to book a second dose, said Deputy Chief Shirley Hilton.
The officer in charge of the region’s vaccine rollout urged anyone who fits that criteria to rebook later appointments by visiting the region’s website. Any old appointments in the system will automatically be cancelled, she said.
In addition, Hilton said anyone whose first dose was AstraZeneca is now eligible to receive a second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines at the eight-week interval.
Both mRNA vaccines have the same efficacy against the virus, said Wang. "They're like twins."
The website allows anyone in that category to complete a form to choose the mRNA vaccine option.
The province is also sending support next week to help with the local vaccine rollout.
Hilton said they are planning where to deploy that extra support in the various pop-up clinics expected to be announced in the coming days.
She said every dose of the vaccine available was accounted for this week.
The Pinebush clinic in Cambridge increased capacity by administering an extra 1,000 doses a day. Week two of youth vaccinations achieved over 50 per cent completion, making Waterloo region’s efforts with that group the second-best in the province.
Hilton said “doses after dark” will further increase appointment availability at the Pinebush clinic next week.
A second dose clinic at the Gurudwara Singh Sabha on Townline Road will be running for the next two Sundays.
Hilton said the push to get vaccines in arms will be accompanied by outreach efforts in parts of the region identified as having slow uptake due to reasons like accessibility and vaccine hesitancy related to confusion around the vaccine and who is eligible to receive it.
“It is confusing because the playbook wasn’t written before today,” Hilton said, highlighting the fact that supply and capacity are also still hindering the rollout.
She said a lot is being done to spread reliable information and dispel myths within the community directly, and through traditional media and social media channels.
