It's time to rethink your holiday plans, London region's top health official says
CBC
It's time to rethink holiday parties and festive gatherings amid a growing COVID-19 case count and the large number of infections linked to the Omicron variant in this region, says the region's top public health officials.
"It's time to consider cancelling those holiday parties. It's time to consider reducing the amount of gatherings you might be attending, and certainly the size of those gatherings," Dr. Alex Summers, the Middlesex-London Health Unit's acting medical officer of health, told CBC's London Morning today.
At last count, there were 43 cases linked to the emerging Omicron cluster in the London region and more than 170 people are in quarantine because they are considered high-risks contacts. Three Catholic elementary schools in London have temporarily closed because of multiple confirmed or probable cases of Omicron variant, and one church has moved its services online.
Summers said he knows first-hand how frustrating it is to cancel social get-togethers.
"I've had to do so in my own life. We've been as a family rolling back on those gatherings and postponing things another year, and it's hard and it's frustrating. But the virus is still circulating readily, and we have to take that into account."
The virus can transmit easily indoors, even among fully-vaccinated people, Summers added.
Because of the rising case counts, he's planning to release new public health measures Thursday in an effort to curb the spread.
Summers did have some good news to share. Nearly a quarter of all five-to-11 year-olds have received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which represents about 30 percent of the young age group in the London area. The health unit's objective is to have 50 to 60 percent of that population vaccinated by the end of this month, Summer said.
There are plenty of appointments for children available on the Middlesex-London Health Unit's website.
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