Marianne Walker takes over as hospital lead for Waterloo Wellington’s COVID-19 response

Waterloo Wellington has a new hospital lead for their COVID-19 response. 

Guelph General Hospital's President and CEO, Marianne Walker, has taken over the role, following the recent departure of St. Mary's General Hospital's Lee Fairclough. 

“I’d like to express my appreciation for the great work Lee did in helping keep the community well informed about the pandemic’s impact on local hospitals,” says Walker. 

Susan deRyk, Chief Regional Officer for Ontario Health West said she is confident Walker “will ensure that information flows seamlessly across partners, and continue to build on the timely and easy-to-understand communications that Lee could be counted on to share previously.”

Walker's first order of business was to share the “most welcome” news that the province has extended its required mask mandate for high-risk settings. 

“Hospitals are still being challenged by both the number of COVID patients and high number of staff off either with COVID or suspected COVID. We know that masks help protect against COVID along with other preventable measures such as vaccination. We are committed to follow the science and continue masking and vaccination mandates,” she said, adding that the community still has a large role to play in supporting hospitals. 

“Vaccinations and masking continue to be important in reducing the risk of getting COVID and possibly having to come to hospital.”