The Grey Bruce Health Unit is acknowledging they have learned valuable lessons from their experiences with the Covid Delta variant.
A release notes the health unit sees the variant as extremely efficient and effective in its transmission, causing severe disease that put people in the hospital, and leading to deaths.
In conducting a social analysis of Covid surges in Grey Bruce, the health unit was able to identify the majority of transmissions was in individuals who were not fully vaccinated. It was also found private gatherings and parties were also large contributors to outbreaks, with also low economic status or crowded housing also playing a factor.
With support from various partners and volunteers, the health unit was able to take the vaccines to the community with both mass and targeted shots. This led to about 70,000 people, or 50 per cent of the eligible population in Grey Bruce within the past four weeks getting their shots.
Acknowledging the delta’s presence in Grey Bruce and how it became the dominant strain, this has led the health unit to set a higher vaccine target of 90 per cent coverage, needing to build upon the targeted vaccination strategy and add more pop-up and drive thru clinics.
When battling the latest surge in Delta variant cases, Case and Contact Management (CCM) was much needed in bringing the variant under control. Over the past 16 months, the team was also capable in bringing down every surge and having the number of cases at a manageable number.
Through the CCM, residents were able to be reached out to and directed to take the proper precautions, capping the number at 20 new cases per day over the past three weeks, now being reduced to nine per day over the past week.
Residents are reminded of more drop-in vaccine clinics being added every day in Grey Bruce on the health unit’s vaccine schedule webpage.