The Health Unit reports eight new cases, now at 50 active cases



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Investigations to date reveal that no incidents are driving this wave of cases

Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reporting eight new cases of COVID-19 in residents in our service area (Greater Sudbury, Sudbury District and Manitoulin District).

Through contact tracing, public health will directly notify all close contacts. If you are not contacted by public health, you are not considered a close contact.

“The number of our daily cases is at an all-time high since the start of the pandemic, with 48 new cases reported in the past week. This wave is not a trend we want to continue, “said Dr Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Health Officer with Sudbury & Districts Public Health. the spread of COVID-19. Otherwise, we risk seeing widespread transmission in the community and outbreaks, putting our health and education systems, our vulnerable populations and our activities at risk, “added Dr. Sutcliffe.

Of the new cases reported (# 168 to # 175), all are from Greater Sudbury. Six are close contacts of confirmed cases and the other two are still under investigation. All follow the direction of public health and self-isolate.

“Detailed case investigations are based on people’s willingness to know the people they have been in contact with and their activities. Public health maintains strict confidentiality on information shared with us, “said Dr Sutcliffe.” Our entire community benefits from the honesty we have experienced in our interactions with cases, “added Dr Sutcliffe.

Investigations to date reveal that no incidents are driving this wave of cases. What is happening locally – similar to what is happening elsewhere in the province – is an increase in infections among young people. Transmission occurs between family contacts and through social interactions outside of families and spread is occurring rapidly. An increase in infections in our communities, particularly if it affects other more vulnerable populations, could have significant health consequences. Keeping the number of local cases low reduces the risk of spreading the virus and is critical to protecting local health and long-term care systems and keeping COVID-19 out of schools. To date, there are no institutional or workplace outbreaks.

“As we see an increasing number of cases in our community, we are concerned about the needs of people who may require hospitalization,” said Dominic Giroux, president and CEO of Health Sciences North. “It is imperative that everyone do their part and take action now to reduce COVID-19 transmission in order to protect our hospitals and other health system partners from being overwhelmed.”

Public Health Sudbury & Districts is currently in the Green-Prevent category of the Ontario Government’s new COVID-19 response framework. The situation will be closely monitored to determine what impact, if any, the recent increase in cases has on the category of the region. The decision to move to the next category, Yellow-Protected, is made by the province. Changing categories would involve additional and more targeted measures for specific sectors, institutions and other contexts.

Our actions today determine what will happen to our schools, our restaurants, our workplaces, our hospitals, our long-term care homes and more tomorrow, the health unit said in a press release.

It is essential that people stay at home when they are sick and get tested if they have any symptoms of COVID-19. Limit close contact to household contacts only and keep a physical distance of two meters from everyone else, in all situations. Practice washing your hands often and wear a face cover. Limit non-essential travel and continue to work remotely wherever possible. Remember to practice kindness, patience, and gratitude.

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