The Medical Officer of Health for Grey and Bruce says a local commitment to fighting COVID-19 could give the area an inside track once a vaccine is available.
Dr. Ian Arra commented during a live event hosted by Bruce Power and broadcast on CKNX Wednesday night.
He said local companies like Chapman's Ice Cream in Markdale have resources that could be needed.
"They proactively, and we were thinking about the same thing, and they connected with us to say they would build a freezer that's -70 C," said Dr. Arra. "So that's one of the hurdles that could be ironed out. And I see no reason why we would not be the pilot for the distribution of a vaccine in the province."
One of the vaccines being tested needs to be transported and stored at very cold temperatures.
One of the current concerns locally is community spread and Dr. Arra says a lot of that is happening through social gatherings.
The area held the line on cases for a period of time but as people travelled in and out of the region, it set the table for community spread.
"Fast forward a couple of weeks, these cases infected their household and their friends. So 50% of them imported, the other 50 per cent are local and in the recent couple of weeks, it's been mostly local," said Dr. Arra.
He pointed out while there is a low risk of transmission in workplaces and schools because of stringent measures in place, those become more relaxed at social gatherings and groups and that's where they are seeing the spread.
As of late Wednesday, the Grey Bruce Health Unit was tracking 49 active cases as 12 new cases were confirmed. Seven in Arran-Elderslie, two in Kincardine and one each in Hanover, Owen Sound and Southgate.
As for Christmas, Dr. Arra backed what the province stated on Wednesday, try to celebrate with people in your household only.
"But in general, to the best of our ability, the rule is to have immediate household, people who live with us celebrate Christmas. And you know, in one year from now we will have an amazing, awesome Christmas when we have the pandemic behind us," stated Dr. Arra.
And Dr. Arra says continuing to follow the 3 Ws are important steps in fighting COVID-19. Those are washing hands frequently, watching distance (ideally 6 feet), and wearing a face-covering correctly.
The full broadcast is expected to be made available later Thursday.