CHAPLEAU EXPRESS
Local News Weekly
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Vol. 25, Issue 20, January 21, 2021
COVID-19 in Sudbury & districts: Your weekly update January 14, 2021
T
he following is a summary of how the status of COVID-19 has changed in Public Health Sudbury & Districts’ service area over the last seven days up to end of day January 13, 2021: 76 new cases, 32 cases were resolved, 0 deaths occurred. Two (2) outbreaks were active, 1 in a long-term care home and 1 in a retirement home. One (1) of those outbreaks was declared over. At end of day January 13, 2021, there were 76 active cases in our service area, and 1 active outbreak. Eleven (11) cases were hospitalized, while the rest were self-isolating. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a total of 380 local cases of which 304 are resolved, and two people have died in our service area. Trends in the past seven days Of the 76 new cases in our service area, 36 were associated with an outbreak, while 27 were close contacts of confirmed cases. This means that Public Health identified how these people were exposed to COVID-19 and was able to take quick action to prevent further spread.
The source of exposure was unknown for 5 cases, while 3 were travel-related and 4 cases remain under investigation. Sixty-nine (69) of the cases were from Greater Sudbury, while 5 reside in the Manitoulin District, and 2 reside in the Sudbury District. By end of day on January 13, contact tracing information was available for all 76 of the new cases. Through our investigation, we identified 184 people who had high-risk close contacts with these cases. That is an average of 3 high-risk close contacts per case, compared to 7 contacts per case on average last week. Public Health follows up directly and regularly with every high-risk close contact to monitor them for symptoms, ensure they are self-isolating, and make recommendations for testing according to provincial guidance. The 7-day incidence rate was 38.2 new cases per 100 000 population (compared to 14.6 for the previous 7 days). The percent positivity was 1.3% for the period of January 5 to January 11 (compared to
0.91% for the previous 7 days). For the period of January 6 to 12, the effective reproductive number (Rt) was 1.4 for Northern Ontario, and 1.1 for Ontario overall. Stay COVID-safe Stay home unless for essential needs like picking up groceries, accessing medical or health care services, or for essential work or school. It is important to get outside for exercise even during the state of emergency. If you do enjoy an outdoor activity, remember to keep two metres distance from people you do not live with, and wear a face covering or a mask when you can’t stay distanced. Remember, outdoor gatherings are restricted to a limit of five people with limited exceptions. Remember to screen for symptoms prior to attending school. Stay home if you have symptoms or don’t feel well, wear a mask if you are using public transit, and maintain a physical distance of two metres from others. We owe it to our children to keep schools safe and we owe it to Cont’d on P.5
Individual has tested positive for COVID-19 at R.M. Moore Public School in the Sault
A
lgoma Public Health (APH) has advised us that an individual associated with R.M. Moore Public School has tested positive for COVID-19. At this time, APH has conducted a careful Long Term investigation and has Forecast identified and notified Thursday anyone considered a High -1 Low -4 close contact. Examples of close contacts include Friday household members, High -1 Low -3 people who have been in direct physical contact, Saturday High -3 Low -13 Sunday High -10 Low -19 Monday High -13 Low -20 Tuesday High -15 5Low -19
and people whoLuhtasaari have spent more than 15 minutes Photo Kari together within 2 metres or 6 feet of each other, such as while sharing a meal or being in the same carpool. Brief interactions, like walking past someone in a hallway or on the sidewalk, are not generally considered close contact situations. APH directly calls all those that are considered high risk and sends a letter via email to all those considered low risk. All contacts in this scenario are low risk. Please be reassured that we are reviewing and confirming enhanced cleaning protocols at the school. We know COVID-19 is present in our community, thus everyone is reminded to
engage in practices to help reduce the potential spread of COVID-19, including: -Screening children/themselves -Staying home when sick -Minimizing contacts -Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces -Using personal protective equipment when appropriate (masking, eye protection) -Ensuring proper hand hygiene -Maintaining physical distancing. We wish the individual a quick and full recovery. For more information: Please visit the A P H w e b s i t e a t h t t p : / / w w w. a l g o m a publichealth.com/
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