Peel Region in a ‘dire situation,’ says Mississauga mayor

Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie says that Peel Region is in a crisis.

The region has reached a turning point in the second wave of the pandemic.

Crombie says that everyone in the community needs to work together and act now to help to stop the spread of the virus.

Health officials reported a new daily record of 458 COVID-19 cases in Peel on Tuesday.

“The sobering reality is that the Region of Peel is in a dire situation,” says Crombie.

The region is averaging 340 new daily COVID-19 cases over the last week. Mississauga is averaging 105 new daily cases over the same time period. Both numbers are the highest since the pandemic began March.

RELATED: Stricter COVID-19 rules in effect for Peel after region moved into ‘Red’ stage

Crombie says it was only a week ago where the region was seeing 55 new cases a day. Stressing that things move quickly if no action is taken.

“The virus has been fully unleashed in our community,” she says.

Hospitals in the region are now seeing surges and find themselves in vulnerable situations.

Crombie says the situation at Brampton Civic Hospital, part of the William Osler Health System, is becoming grim. The hospital is at full capacity and is currently treating 50 COVID-19 patients with 50 other pending cases.

The need for patients to self-isolate means the hospital is currently using 113 rooms that are normally shared by multiple patients. Some patients have been forced to go to other hospitals in the GTA.

Elective surgeries in the region are now being cancelled.

Crombie says that more hospitalizations will lead to more patients in the ICU and ultimately, more deaths in the region.

Another concerning trends is the rise of transmissions in long-term care homes. Many of these homes were ravaged by the virus during the first wave.

“We need to everything in our power to stop the movement of this virus,” says Crombie. “Everyone in our community has to step up. Right here and right now.”

On Friday, the province made the decision to place Peel Region into the “Red-Control” category of COVID-19 restrictions.

RELATED: Toronto orders strict COVID-19 safety measures, prohibits indoor dining amid surge in positivity rate

The decision was met with frustration from many small business owner throughout the region who were expected to have fewer restriction moving forward.

In addition to the province’s measures, Peel’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lawrence Loh added more restrictions on Saturday.

Crombie says that while she knows restaurants, bars and gyms are not the biggest contributors to the spread of the virus, she fully supports the measures put forth by the province and Dr. Loh. She says that going against the advice of health officials is irresponsible.

“The measures allow us to take a tailored approach to the local realities here on the ground in Peel. All of them are aimed at getting the virus under control in our community.”

Health officials say that social gatherings are the main culprits for the spread of the disease and Crombie noted that the Thanksgiving long weekend and a large workplace outbreak are major factors in the recent uptick in cases.

She says that the case counts are high enough that Dr. Loh has lost the ability to contact trace, other than in instances of large severe outbreaks.

Health officials are asking everyone in the region to limit in-person contact to people in their own households. Crombie is urging members of the Hindu community to keep Diwali celebrations to their immediate families.

The mayor says that she understands that many may be experiencing COVID fatigue, but says the region can expect prolonged restrictions if there is no action taken.

“If that happens there won’t be any debate about how many people can eat inside a restuarant. We will be in total lockdown.”

The provincial government announced help to Peel by establishing community test centres in the region. Two mobile testing sites have been set up in Missisauga and three more have been set up in Brampton.

The province is also providing 70 case and contact management staff throughout the region and investing 42 million dollars for 234 new patient beds at three hospitals.

The federal government has provided funding for a new isolation centre aimed at lowering the rates of community transmission.

RELATED: Ontario reports new daily COVID-19 case record high, Toronto sees more than 500

There are 705 active cases in Peel Region as of Tuesday and 237 people have died as a result of the virus.