AND....onto the third wave.

 

This one is different for two reasons: The majority of new cases in this wave are variants of concerns ( mainly the UK variant B117). We can expect the numbers to rise much more quickly and to higher daily numbers than we have seen before. At the same time, the number of vaccines being administered is also increasing sharply every day. We are entitled to feel a little stuck in the middle. We are not fully vaccinated. We are tired of masks and restrictions but we can't be free of them. Vaccines coming with a third wave? This is a race we will win but to win we need to do two things: Get vaccinated and keep adhering to public health guidelines until the majority of us are fully vaccinated. Altogether, 3,729,312 vaccine doses have been administered in Canada as of March 19, 2021. 1.5 M in Ontario 32 thousand have been administered in Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin. That's 10.2 %. Our goal is 75 %. Follow this link if you want to keep track of our progress. Status of Vaccinations in WDG: https://bit.ly/2QjEWIA Take a look at what is happening in our region as a result of those vaccinations. This is the race against the virus and proof that in the early stages of the race, we are winning. What we are doing is working. The graph on the top shows what happened after we started vaccinating people on Jan 2nd. Before that the number of cases in people age 0 - 59 were climbing ( green bars). The number of new daily cases in people 60 and above also climbing ( orange bars). The number of hospitalizations and deaths, fluctuating but climbing ( broken line and black line). Then, look at that beautiful, bright blue line that represents the number of people getting a vaccine. As it shoots up, all the other numbers fall. All of them. It is not just vaccines that caused this awesome decline, this chart also shows how well we have been at wearing masks, not gathering and keeping our distance but add in the vaccines and we are on a winning course. More vaccines in arms means a drop in new cases of COVID-19 in all age groups, a drop in hospitalizations caused by COVID-19 and a significant drop in deaths. So, what do we do in the face of these new variants and a third wave? Get registered for a vaccine when it is your turn and keep wearing a mask and staying six feet apart. Our region is heading into the Orange restriction level tomorrow. Stay safe regardless of these new freedoms. It is not safe to gather in crowds, especially indoors unless you can keep your distance and please wear a mask. Ten can gather inside. That's not a party and it is not permission to have a party. It means that along with the people you live with, others can join to a maximum of ten but those that do not live with you need to keep a six foot distance and wear masks. Even if there are people in that group of ten who have been vaccinated, it is not time to let our guard down. Not until the majority of us are two weeks past our second dose of the Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines or 2 weeks past the only dose of the J and J vaccine when it becomes available, can we let our guard down. Nice weather is coming. Avoid gathering inside altogether is what I recommend. Bundle up and gather outside, safely. No parties out there either. Follow the orange restriction guidelines for details of outdoor gatherings. This is the link for more details. https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open Most people in Canada will have the opportunity for their first dose of vaccine before the summer. The second dose? Three or four months later. This could mean a restriction free thanksgiving and it certainly does mean a restriction free Christmas. And just to give you a little more inspiration, the UK has vaccinated 26 million of it's citizens and with that there has been a 70% reduction in COVID-19 cases. SEVENTY PERCENT!!!! We will be the champions! Anne-Marie Please share.

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