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The IFP - Halton Hills | Thursday, September 23, 2021 | 8 theifp.ca ON NOW AT THE BRICK! The BRICK 50. T'S OUR HUGE SEMI-ANN ial SAVING YOU MORE Visit thebrick.com for more details and locations. f — The reliable choice for all of your legal needs A Full Service Firm, Including Family Law, Employment, Real Estate, Corporate Law, Wills & Estat , Estate Litigation and Civil Litigation Empowering Clients. Enriching the Community. OFFICE LOCATIONS GEORGETOWN 8 Guelph Street | Brampton Office (Main) 350 Rutherford Road S., Suite 320 | CALEDON EAST 15955 Airport Road, Suite 201 | Proud Supporter of the Proud Georgetown Hospital member of Fore Fura on Vv) canal es By www.lhiaw.ca IBNEWS UNVACCINATED ACCOUNT FOR MOST LOCAL COVID-19 CASES: MOH HERE'S THE NEW DATA MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com Residents who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19 are driving local case counts, says Halton's medical officer of health. among several or Hamidah Meghani shared with re- gional council during its Sept. 15 session, when she revealed that of the 440,960 Halton resi Spencer B. Davis/Pixabay Unvaccinated residents accounted for two thirds of recent COVID-19 cases in Halton. the cases among the unvac- cinated from Sept. 6 to 12, only 33 per cent were in the under 1 i ho've re- ceived two doses of a CO- VID-19 vaccine, only 0.08 per cent have gone on to be diagnosed with the virus. When taking a closer look at the week of Sept.6 to 12, Meghani said that al- most two thirds of Halton's COVID-19 cases, or 63 per cent, were among individu- als who haven't received "The minority of people who are unvaccinated in the Population | are now counting for majority or our case burden she = She also told council that "at this point, children wer of case counts local- © she explained that of step further, Oakville Coun. m Adams w went ¢ on to} iy crorlue was passed oy pens tat its low among children is some- thing health officials are focusing on now that in- person school has re- sumed. In Halton, youth aged: i to 17 are among thi vaccinated groups, with 30 per cent having received at least one dose an cent nt having both doses. asing vaccination rates el in the overall community mething that will help k keep schools families |” reducing their contacts for non-essential reasons. "We all have a part to play in keeping our schools safe and open," she said. ‘Taking the message one amine and choose methods ener when responding to -19 cases. He aid he knows how important schools are for the community, parents and the children attending “in terms of their need to be able to learn, and for their own mental health. The sentiment was ech- oed by Meghani. "I would suggest schools should continue to be the last place to close because of the importance of educa- tion for young people,” she said. For further details on lo- cal COVID-19 case num- bers and vaccinations, visit halton.ca/COVID19.