Health

St. Marys resident confirmed positive with COVID-19; risk still remains low – My Stratford Now

Published

5 years ago

March 14, 2020

Harry Miller

A 64-year old man from St. Marys is the first case of COVID-19 in Huron-Perth.

He had recently travelled to Mexico, returning home on March 2^nd.

According to Dr. Miriam Klassen, the Medical Officer of Health for Huron Perth Public Health, he fell ill on March 7^th and began to self-isolate.

He went to the emergency department of St. Marys Memorial Hospital on the evening of March 12^th for symptoms inconsistent with COVID-19.

While at the hospital his condition rapidly changed, and it was determined a test for COVID-19 should be done.

He is in serious condition at the Stratford General Hospital where CEO Andrew Williams says he is being treated under all appropriate guidelines.

Huron Perth Public Health is now tracing people through contact management means to determine who the man was in contact with before he self-isolated. “We will continue to update the community as more details are available,” says Dr. Klassen.

Klassen says that patients with mild symptoms do not need to go to the hospital but need to self-isolate in order to control the spread of infection.

Klassen says it is not unexpected to have a confirmed case but it is important to remember the risk to Huron-Perth residents remains low, “Having a confirmed case in our area is not unexpected given the transmission of this virus globally. Although it is concerning to have a confirmed case, it’s important to remember that as a community and as a health system, we have been preparing for COVID-19. Our focus is on breaking the chain of transmission to limit the spread of infection. The risk to Huron-Perth residents remains low.”

Klassen asks that residents check the HPPH website frequently for more information on prevention tips.

You can find that here

Current recommendations for residents

At this time, the virus is not circulating locally. However, this is a rapidly changing situation requiring that the community and individuals be prepared for potential wider spread of the infection in the community.
The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Health are advising all travellers to monitor their health for fever, cough, and difficulty breathing for 14 days after arriving back in Canada. If symptoms develop within 14 days, returning travellers are directed to self-isolate as quickly as possible and immediately call their health care provider or public health.
Symptoms of COVID-19 can range from mild to severe and include fever, cough, or difficulty breathing (shortness of breath).

Who should be tested for COVID-19?

Testing is only being considered for high-risk individuals, including:

Symptomatic contacts of confirmed cases, until community transmission is confirmed

Individuals admitted to hospital with acute respiratory illness
Health care workers with acute respiratory illness
Individuals with acute respiratory who reside in long-term care homes and retirement homes
Individuals with acute respiratory illness who reside in other institutions and as directed by local public health
Health care workers as part of a health care institutional outbreak and as directed by local public health.

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Health

The US is mailing Americans COVID tests again. Here’s how to get them

Published

2 hours ago

September 26, 2024

Anne Joseph

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can once again order COVID-19 tests, without being charged, sent straight to their homes.

The U.S. government reopened the program on Thursday, allowing any household to order up to four at-home COVID nasal swab kits through the website, covidtests.gov. The tests will begin shipping, via the United States Postal Service, as soon as next week.

The website has been reopened on the heels of a summer COVID-19 virus wave and heading into the fall and winter respiratory virus season, with health officials urging Americans to get an updated COVID-19 booster and their yearly flu shot.

“Before you visit with your family and friends this holiday season, take a quick test and help keep them safe from COVID-19,” U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell said in a statement.

U.S. regulators approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine that is designed to combat the recent virus strains and, they hope, forthcoming winter ones, too. Vaccine uptake is waning, however. Most Americans have some immunity from prior infections or vaccinations, but under a quarter of U.S. adults took last fall’s COVID-19 shot.

Using the swab, people can detect current virus strains ahead of the fall and winter respiratory virus season and the holidays. Over-the-counter COVID-19 at-home tests typically cost around $11, as of last year. Insurers are no longer required to cover the cost of the tests.

Before using any existing at-home COVID-19 tests, you should check the expiration date. Many of the tests have been given an extended expiration from the date listed on the box. You can check on the Food and Drug Administration’s website to see if that’s the case for any of your remaining tests at home.

Since COVID-19 first began its spread in 2020, U.S. taxpayers have poured billions of dollars into developing and purchasing COVID-19 tests as well as vaccines. The Biden administration has given out 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, including half distributed to households by mail. It’s unclear how many tests the government still has on hand.

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Health

Free COVID tests are back. Here’s how to order a test to your home

Published

2 hours ago

September 26, 2024

Anne Joseph

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can once again order free COVID-19 tests sent straight to their homes.

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Health

Disability rights groups launching Charter challenge against MAID law

Published

2 hours ago

September 26, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – A coalition of disability rights groups says it is launching a Charter challenge against a part of Canada’s law on medical assistance in dying.

The group, which also includes two individual plaintiffs, argues that what’s known as track two of the MAID law has resulted in premature deaths.

Under the law, patients whose natural deaths are not reasonably foreseeable but whose condition leads to intolerable suffering can apply for a track-two assisted death.

The coalition says track two of the MAID law has had a direct effect on the lives of people with disabilities and argues medically assisted death should only be available to those whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable.

The executive vice-president of Inclusion Canada – which is part of the coalition – says there has been an alarming trend where people with disabilities are seeking assisted death due to social deprivation, poverty and a lack of essential supports.

Krista Carr says those individuals should instead be supported in order to live better lives.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.

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