DAN CEARNS, The Standard
KAWARTHA LAKES: The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR) has confirmed we are in a new wave of COVID-19 spread.
“I think it is fair to say, we’re entering another wave or we have entered another wave. What we want to call this wave really doesn’t matter, whether it’s the fifth and a half wave, or whether it’s the sixth wave. But we are seeing a surge [in virus spread] equivalent to a wave, and the question now really is how large this wave will be,” medical officer of health Dr. Natalie Bocking told reporters, during a virtual press conference, on Wednesday, April 6th.
Recently, the health unit has seen cases increase in the local areas at a rapid rate.
“The number of new lab-confirmed cases the health unit is receiving each day has doubled in the last two weeks,” Dr. Bocking said. She also stated, wastewater analysis in Lindsay and Cobourg shows an increase of COVID-19 in those health unit areas.
Dr. Bocking further explained this increase might be due to the province’s gradual lifting of public health measures and the emergence of a new COVID-19 subvariant. However, she said there are some things people can do now to help blunt this new wave.
“None of these things are surprises. They’re all familiar things. [They include] vaccination, staying home when [you are] sick, masking, avoiding or limiting social gatherings and then your other basic routine measures, like hand-washing and covering coughs.”