Nine new COVID-19 cases reported within 21 hours – Timmins Press

The Porcupine Health Unit has reported nine new COVID-19 cases among residents within a span of 21 hours.

This brings the number of cases to 21 in the health unit area.

The 13th case is a woman in her 30s who is a close contact of another confirmed case. She was tested last Friday and is currently in self-isolation at home.

The 14th case is a child under the age of 10 who is a close contact of another confirmed case. He was tested last Saturday and is self-isolating at home.

The 15th case is also a child under the age of 10 and a close contact of another confirmed case. He was tested last Friday and is likewise at home in self-isolation.

The 16th case is a man in his 40s who is a close contact of another confirmed case. He was tested last Friday and is currently at home in self-isolation.

The 17th case is a woman in her 60s who was admitted to hospital in Timmins. She is currently in the intensive care unit and was tested last Saturday.

The 18th case is a woman in her 70s who was also admitted to hospital in Timmins. She was tested this past Monday.

The 19th case is a woman in her 60s who is a close contact of another confirmed case. She was tested last Thursday and is currently in self-isolation at home.

The 20th case is a man in his 60s who is also a close contact of another confirmed case. He was likewise tested last Thursday and is at home in self-isolation.

The 21st case is a man in his 60s who was tested on Tuesday and is self-isolating at home in Timmins.

The investigation into the exposure to the virus of cases 17, 18 and 21 is still ongoing. Close contacts of cases are currently being called and followed by the health unit.

However, during the local daily mid-day update concerning the coronavirus Wednesday, Dr. Lianne Catton, medical officer of health for the Porcupine Health Unit, said there is no definitive link to international travel or other known cases.

“As such, the message remains the same,” she said. “We need to assume that COVID-19 is here and we need to act as such.”

No other details were provided by either the hospital or Catton, although she later confirmed to reporters that the last two cases older were not the only ones admitted to hospital. There have been others who have since gone home, and that information was made known when the cases were announced.

Additionally, Catton did not have a sense of the exact number of cases who have been admitted to hospital since the health unit first began to see cases popping up in the region.

Cases 13, 14, 15, 19 and 20 are located in the areas of Cochrane, Matheson, Iroquois Falls and Smooth Rock Falls, according to the PHU. Case 16 is located in the areas of Kapuskasing, Opasatika & Val Rita-Harty, Moonbeam and Fauquier-Strickland.

The locations of cases have changed to include broader areas in the PHU region to protect the privacy and confidentiality of individual cases and their families, Catton explained, noting a number of these smaller communities have been concerned about potential identifying information due to their small population.

“I continue to be concerned with the concentration of knowing exactly where cases are, where they have been, what they did and what they did not do,” she said.

“While we recognize that some individuals have decided to post on their own accord, this is up to them and this is not something that the PHU will be confirming for providing for any case.”

When reporters pushed back on this decision and urged the health unit to consider releasing the exact area where cases are located, Catton countered by saying there are two reasons she stands by her decision not to publicize that particular information.

The first reason was that even giving the age and gender of an individual in a small community which only has several thousand people, already could identify an individual. Revealing the town could “flag” who they are, especially if their families become affected.

Other health units in Ontario have also resorted to not identifying specific areas, she added.

“The second part that really concerns me the most is the sense of comfort or feeling reassured that a community has not been named. This is critical. If we have individuals who still feel reassured across Ontario that their community has not been named, this is a problem because we need to act and follow these public health measures now, whether your community has been named or not.”

While speaking to reporters, Catton said she would not be surprised “whatsoever” if Ontario Premier Doug Ford extended the declaration of a state of emergency again. She knows and expects the health unit will see more cases of COVID-19 and community spread of the virus, as well as the virus will impact people’s way of life “definitely into the summer.”

When asked about predictions of a second wave of the virus in the fall made by Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief medical officer of health, Catton said that was something she would comment on in the coming days and weeks ahead.

The PHU is urging all residents to take preventive measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

These measures include physical distancing — keeping at least two metres or a six-foot distance — between yourself and others, only leaving the house for essentials such as groceries and prescription medications, coughing or sneezing into a tissue, cleaning surfaces well and washing your hands.

“We need people to continue washing their hands as often as possible, as well as possible. Twenty seconds, soap and water, between your fingers, sing a song, whatever you need to do, make sure you’re washing them properly and using hand sanitizer,” Catton said.

“Stop touching your face. That’s something I think we all recognize we probably do a lot more often in these times and it’s really, really important that we acknowledge it’s a good habit to have year-round, not just during COVID-19. If we can change that, we will likely – in the future when we’re finally through this – see a decrease in other infections across our community.”

Travellers who have returned to Canada must self-isolate for 14 days under the Quarantine Act invoked by federal health minister Patty Hajdu.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, the PHU has completed 323 tests, of which 235 are negative and 21 are positive. Of those 21 positive cases, five have been resolved.

While speaking to reporters, Catton defined the meaning of a resolved case. She said it is an individual who is already recovering or has completely recovered from their symptoms, therefore deemed no longer infectious or completely asymptomatic.

The label is based on provincial criteria and an individual assessment and has to do with the timeline of the individual’s symptoms, how they present to the health unit following the completion of the 14-day self-isolation period and how well they are doing.

Following the daily update, the PHU clarified to The Daily Press that an individual must complete the 14 days in isolation from the onset or start of symptoms even if they are no longer experiencing symptoms before the end of the 14 days.

If they are still experiencing symptoms at Day 14, they must continue to self-isolate and contact either the health unit or their primary care provider. Once their self-isolation is completed, individuals must follow the public health measures promoted to the public listed above.