Dr. Rebecca Comley, Acting Medical Officer of Health for Brant County Health Unit, issued the following statement regarding COVID-19 on Friday, July 8.
“Our COVID-19 indicators are beginning to trend upward as we experience another resurgence of the virus driven by the BA-4 and new BA-5 variants. Locally, we are seeing an uptick in the number of COVID-19 active cases and hospitalizations. The BA-5 variant is becoming the new dominant variant of concern provincially. Similarly, to previous Omicron variants, BA-5 is easily transmissible and has the potential to impact even those who have previously been infected with COVID-19 in prior waves,” said Dr. Comley. “As we see a change in our local COVID-19 community levels, it is important that we begin to reassess our use of protective measures against the virus. This means we may need to adjust how we go about our daily activities to protect ourselves and others from the virus.”
Comley continued, “With an increase in COVID-19 activity within the community, I recommend that residents reintroduce the use of masking into their routines when visiting indoor public spaces. When attending outdoor public events, consider bringing a mask with you in the event of crowding or if there is not enough space to distance safely.”
“I also strongly encourage all eligible individuals who have yet to receive their third dose COVID-19 vaccine booster, and those who are 60 years-of-age or older who haven’t received a fourth dose booster to do so as soon as possible. It is still very important you get your booster, and it is not too late. Vaccination remains an effective protective tool to prevent serious illness and death. BCHU continues to operate walk-in vaccination clinics within Brant. Vaccine eligibility, appointment information and walk-in clinic schedules can be found by visiting our website. Let’s continue to work together and use all available preventative tools to protect ourselves and our community,” concluded Comley.
