5 durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, April 14, 2022 What happensWhen your brain doesn't get enough sound? Your ears collect sound, but it's your brain that actually understands it. With hearing loss, there isn't enough sound information coming to your brain from your ears, or the quality of that information is too low. This makes it much harder for the brain to orient itself in your surroundings, and focus on what's important. That's why good hearing helps your brain stay fit throughout your life. Call today to book your no charge hearing assessment to learn about your hearing ability. *receive an in-office demo of oticon's BrainhearingtM technology. *Clinician to determine candidacy. We offer oticon's BrainhearingtM technology, which helps you to: Orient better in the full sound scene Focus more clearly on what you choose Improve your understanding of speech Reduce the effort it takes you to listen Improve your memory 1031 simcoe street north, oshawa, on. L1g 4W3 Funding Ministry of Health Assistive Devices Program, GM Green Shield, VAC,WSIB, ODSP, and MCSS funding available. receive up to $2500 off a pair of oticon's BrainhearingtM technology for a limited time. Call clinic today for details. 905-240-5055 www.deeganhearingclinic.com Proudly Family owned, local mattersPROUDLY FAMILY OWNED.LOCAL MATTERS The most recent waste- water data in Durham shows the COVID-19 "signal strength" has increased from medium to high in several areas over the past week. Data from April 8 lists the viral signal strength as high for three out of seven sampling sites -- Harmony in Oshawa and Darlington and Newcastle in Claring- ton. The other four sites are listed as medium. A week ago at this time, all seven sites in Durham had a medium signal strength. The April 8 data lists the wastewater trend as stable at all seven sampling sites. Durham started wastewater collection in March 2021 as one way of monitoring COVID infection trends in the community. Samples are collected about three times per week from seven sites in Durham -- five water pollution control plants and two sanitary sewer pumping stations. Durham Region Works Department collects the samples, which are then analyzed by Ontario Tech University to detect COVID viral fragments. Each sampling site is given a colour coded "signal strength" of high, medi- um or low and a 14-day trend that is characterized as increasing, stable or decreasing. Experts say wastewater surveillance has become the most accurate method for determining daily cases since the province suspended widespread PCR testing. In past pandemic waves, wastewater signals served as an early warning that the virus was rising in a community. COVID WASTEWATER SIGNAL GOES FROM MEDIUM TO HIGH IN SEVERAL AREAS OF DURHAM NEWS EXPERTS SAY WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE THE MOST ACCURATE METHOD FOR DETERMINING DAILY CASES The Durham Region Health Department is opening fourth COVID-19 vaccinations to people 60 and older and other priority groups. Starting on April 8, people aged 60 years or older, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis residents (and their adult family members) can register for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The health department requires a minimum of 84 days since a person received their third vaccine dose but recommends people wait 140 days - five months - before getting the fourth dose. The recommendation is based on evidence that indicates a longer interval between doses may result in improved immunity. People who have been infected with COVID-19 should wait three months after symptoms started or testing positive to receive their fourth dose. Ontario began offering fourth doses at the end of December for vulnerable communities including residents of long-term care homes. Fourth doses in Dur- ham will be either the Pfizer Comirnaty BioNTech vaccine or the Moderna Spikevax. To book an appointment and for clinic locations and hours, visit durham.ca/ vaccineappointment or call 1-888-444-5113. No walk-ins will be available for fourth doses. For more information on COVID-19 vaccines in Durham Region, visit durham.ca/co- vidvaccines. DURHAM BEGINS OFFERING FOURTH DOSE OF COVID-19 VACCINE FOR PEOPLE 60 AND OLDER Durham residents 60 and older are now eligible for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Graeme Frisque/Metroland Two weeks after March break, data suggests there is an uptick in COVID cases in Durham schools. The province no longer reports data on COVID cases in schools, however some school boards report their own numbers based on self-reported cases. In the days before March break, the Durham District School Board was reporting about 3,400 total absences due to illness and about 330 staff and student absences due to a self-reported positive COVID test. The most recent data reported April 1, shows those numbers have increased to 4,135 absences due to illness and 543 absences due to a positive COVID test. As of April 1, the five DDSB schools with the highest number of self-reported COVID cases were: Donald A. Wilson Secondary School and Pickering High School, both with 21 cases, Julie Payette P.S. with 18 cases, Uxbridge Secondary School with 17 cases and Colonel J.E. Farewell P.S. with 14 cases. Conseil scolaire Via- monde is reporting 17 new COVID cases at its schools in Durham for the week of March 28, including 12 cases at École élémentaire Viola-Léger in Bowman- ville. The province currently reports total absence rates for schools in Ontario each weekday -- the data reflects all absences, not just those related to illness. On April 1, the province reported five schools in Durham with a total staff and student absence rate above 20 per cent: Glen Street P.S. at 28.9 per cent, Goodwood P.S. at 21.9 per cent, Village Union P.S. at 20.2 per cent, Monsignor Philip Coffey Catholic School at 20.7 per cent and Newcastle P.S. at 20.8 per cent. Another 20 schools in Durham had an absence rate between 15 and 20 per cent -- an increase compared with data before March break. A typical school absence rate in Durham is about five per cent, sometimes closer to 10 per cent during times of year when a lot of illness is circulating. DATA SHOWS UPTICK IN COVID CASES IN SCHOOLS AFTER MARCH BREAK