York Region Public Health is warning you to take precautions ahead of your holiday gatherings this week due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Medical officer of health Dr. Barry Pakes said in a Dec. 20 video update that with the omicron variant, it is important to keep gatherings small — outdoors if possible —stay distanced and wear masks.
Pakes said he knows the 10-person indoor gathering limit is challenging for families but close gatherings remain a significant transmission point.
“While many have focused their attention on larger settings, expressing some incredulity at the large venues — for instance, sporting events with thousands of people — it is actually in these many millions of smaller gatherings at homes where the virus truly spreads,” he said, noting these are often spaces with close contact. “With nearly 400,000 private households in York Region, these types of gatherings will continue to contribute to the rise of cases.”
Ontario reported 3,784 new cases today with projections indicating they will continue to rise. Pakes said the higher transmissibility of the omicron variant indicates this could be “the most challenging wave yet in the pandemic.”
Hospitals and ICUs are under threat of getting overwhelmed even with mass vaccination making cases milder.
Many York Region residents are taking precautions, including getting vaccinated. Pakes said everyone at a gathering should be vaccinated, including first doses for young children and booster doses for those 50 and older But for now, the region is not giving boosters to the 18 to 49 age group, focusing on the older and immunocompromised.
“That is an ethical imperative,” he said.
The region is working to expand its vaccine capacity. He said they have doubled their capacity since the province announced expanded booster dose eligibility last week.
Other residents are also looking to get free rapid antigen tests ahead of the holidays. Pakes said that is an added step you can take for safety but added tests are no “magic bullet.”
“We have seen instances where COVID-19 did spread after the use of these tests,” Pakes said. “Your first layer of protection is small gatherings, masking, distancing and gathering outdoors.”
Vaccinations alone will not get us through the situation, he added.
“We know you are tired, and so are we, but we can’t let our guard down,” Pakes said. “The virus is nimbler than we are, and it will prey on our fatigue and it’s changing on a dot. We must stay vigilant and do all we can to prevent transmission.”
