No outbreaks in county; almost 400 vaccinated

By

Eganville Leader


January 29, 2021

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The Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU) reported good news Friday for residents of Renfrew County and area in the fight against COVID-19. 

Currently, there are no outbreaks to report and RCDHU has successfully begun COVID-19 Vaccine Roll Out for priority populations. 

To date, RCDHU in collaboration with partners have successfully completed five COVID-19 vaccination clinics and provided first vaccinations to 396 people.

Schools in area were one of seven regions able to return to in-person learning on January 25th, a testament to the efforts in curbing numbers in the district. 

“Looking at the data, schools are not a concern as only 22 high school and elementary school attendees tested positive, which is only seven per cent of the total cases. Of which, 70 per cent were brought into the school, so only a small number occurred within the schools,” Dr. Robert Cushman, Acting Medical Officer of Health, RCDHU, said. “The schools are doing a good job.”

Dr. Cushman warned, however, people have to remain vigilant. 

“What we have noticed is that approximately 55 per cent of all of our cases are in people under the age of 40,” he said. “This presents some clear messages – COVID-19 can affect anybody. We saw this in the death of a nineteen-year-old in Southwestern Ontario. We need to protect our grandmothers or grandfathers from becoming ill. This means we all must be careful. If we want this good news to continue and the economy to re-open, we all need to continue to work hard to do our part. No parties and no gatherings