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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 8, 20 20 | 8 Overhead Door Co. of Hamilton-Burlington™ ON NOW AT THE BRICK! SAVING YOU MORE For more details go instore or online @thebrick.com. Meghani, there are a vari- ety of sources, with one major driver being social gatherings where pan- demic-safe protocols "have been sorely lack- ing." "Social gatherings and unmonitored private events where people are not physically distancing, wearing masks or follow- ing other public health measures have contribut- ed to a rise in cases in our community and across the province," she said. "It's an important reminder for all of us to be vigilant about following public health measures." The number of cases in schools throughout the re- gion has also been slowly climbing, causing concern among local parents. But these infections don't necessarily originate from inside the classroom. According to Meghani, so- cial events outside the school are also the culprit. "It is through gather- ings and other community exposures that students and staff in our schools be- come infected with CO- VID-19," she said. "While news of positive cases of COVID-19 among students and staff is al- ways a concern, stopping the spread of COVID-19 is a community effort -- pre- venting the virus from en- tering the schools or any other community setting in the first place." Dr. Nadia Alam, a Hal- ton physician and past- president of the Ontario Medical Association, said there's no doubt that we're now riding the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. "It's not just the sharp rise in numbers of people testing positive for the vi- rus. It's also the rise in numbers of people testing positive who are also sick enough to be admitted to hospitals and ICUs," she said. "The bad news is that second waves tend to be worse than first waves; the good news is that we got through this once before, and we can do so again." She noted the majority of cases are still among people younger than 60. This is certainly true in Halton. Of the 310 cases re- ported in September, 286 impacted residents be- tween the ages of 0 to 59, with almost half of those cases hitting the 20 to 39 demographic. The statistics from Hal- ton Public Health list close contact with a COVID-19 case as the leading cause of infection, closely fol- lowed by transmission in the community. During the first wave of the pandemic, Meghani said that Halton residents did "an incredible job" flat- tening the curve by follow- ing public health direc- tions. "However, as we are now seeing cases rise in our community and prov- ince, a renewed vigilance with public health mea- sures is essential to reduce the severity of this second wave. What we do today will be critical to what we experience two to three weeks from now," she said. "As COVID-19 trans- mission is more likely to occur when there is close contact between individu- als in enclosed spaces and from social gatherings, Halton Region Public Health implores the public to minimize non-essential social gatherings as much as possible, and when hav- ing these gatherings, to have them in small num- bers, maintain a two-me- tre physical distance and to wear a mask." With the knowledge gained during the first wave and refined ap- proaches to infection con- trol, Alam said we will en- ter the second wave "smar- ter and more practised than before." "Tired as we all are, it's important to reach deep, keep faith and follow the rules," she said. Globally, more than one million deaths have now been attributed to CO- VID-19 during the pan- demic. Alam said the actu- al number is likely higher as not all deaths are re- ported, and not everyone has access to COVID-19 testing. "It's a sad milestone," she said. "It's a time to pause, take a breath, and then get back to doing what must be done to pro- tect those who remain." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, we turned to local medical experts to find out why the numbers are increasing, and what can be done to curtail the spread of coronavirus. NEWS 22 Covid-19 Cases Reported In Halton August September Source: Halton Public Health Torstar graphic Burlington 73HaltonTotal 310HaltonTotal 5 Halton Hills 22 Milton 24 Oakville 65 Burlington 30 Halton Hills 51 Milton 164 Oakville Continued from page 1 RENEWED VIGILANCE NEEDED: MEGHANI