Covid 19 Update Jan. 08

COVID-19 Update from Mayor Wade Mills

January 8, 2021

There were 4,249 new COVID-19 cases reported in Ontario today - about 450 of which were delayed entries from earlier in the week.  This far outpaces the previous single-day record set yesterday when 3,519 cases were reported. Province-wide, our cumulative reported totals now sit at 208,394 cases, 175,309 resolved cases, 4,882 reported deaths, and 1,446 patients currently hospitalized.

Within the Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health region, we have seen an additional 79 new cases reported since yesterday. We currently have 476 active cases throughout the region and five people in hospital. Within Dufferin County specifically, we have had nine new cases reported within the last 24-hour period and our current active case count stands at 105, but no current hospitalizations (unfortunately, two patients passed away yesterday). Public Health is also reporting that 13 active cases currently exist within the Town of Shelburne.

The Premier delivered a morning press conference today which began with an update on the vaccination effort. The roll out continues to occur pretty briskly with nearly 15,000 Ontarians being vaccinated yesterday. Unfortunately, existing supplies of the vaccine in Ontario are dwindling and are set to run out by the end of next week unless more is delivered. The Premier indicated that he has been speaking with Prime Minister Trudeau and expressed the need for a more reliable supply.

The Premier also pleaded with Ontarians to continue to adhere to the public health guidelines and made clear that new modelling data set to be released publicly next week paints a very grim picture. Premier Ford described the new data as demonstrative of a “desperate situation” and has made it clear that “further measures” will be forthcoming. Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health supported this move and suggested that more serious measures (like what we saw in the spring) may soon need to be implemented to get the situation under control. These comments come as a number of public health professionals throughout the Province have been indicating that we are entering what will perhaps be the worst period of this pandemic.

It was also announced yesterday that elementary students throughout Ontario will not be returning to in-class studies as soon as originally planned. Locally, our own Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer has announced that all local public and private schools will be extending online learning until at least January 24^th.

This is all rather disappointing news to deliver and I suspect that even more bad news is on the way next week once the new modelling data is released. Until we have a better understanding of what further actions may be implemented at the Provincial level, I ask each and every resident to continue doing what you are doing to keep each other safe.

All the best.

Mayor Wade Mills