Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reporting three new cases of COVID-19.
Of the newly reported cases (#205 to #207), two are from Greater Sudbury and one from Manitoulin District. One is outbreak related, and two remain under investigation. All are following Public Health direction and are self-isolating.
There are now 59 known active cases in the area.
Through contact tracing, Public Health will notify all close contacts directly. If you are not contacted by Public Health, you are not considered a close contact.
Yesterday, the Government of Ontario placed Public Health Sudbury & Districts in the “Yellow-Protect” category of the provincial COVID-19 response framework. Strengthened public health measures will come into effect in our service area to help control the spread of COVID-19 on Monday, November 16, 2020, at 12:01 a.m. These measures include limited hours of operations for certain settings, reduced recreational program sizes, additional enforcements and fines, and enhanced education in high-risk settings.
Travel, gatherings, and households
Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reminding everyone that the safest options are to avoid non-essential travel, limit indoor gatherings to your own household, and otherwise be outdoors or go virtual, practise physical distancing, masking, and handwashing, and of course, stay away if you have any symptoms.
As much as possible, Ontarians are encouraged to limit outings to essentials like going to work or school, picking up groceries, attending a medical appointment, or engaging in outdoor physical activity. For all outings, continue to practise COVID-safe behaviours like distancing and wearing a face covering.
Although permissible for up to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors, in-person gatherings of any size should be limited and should always include distance and masking when distancing is not possible. Limiting our contacts and in-person interactions as much as possible is critical in reducing the spread of COVID-19. Unless people are from the same household, keep 2 metres (6 feet) apart and wear a face covering if distancing is not possible. Face coverings must be worn in all indoor public spaces, and they must also be worn in other indoor spaces where distancing is not possible.
As of October 3, 2020, the Province of Ontario is pausing social circles and advising that all Ontarians allow close contact only with people living in their own household and maintain two metres physical distancing from everyone else. Individuals who live alone may consider having close contact with another household.
Schools and COVID-19
In any instance where a positive case is identified in a school setting, Public Health Sudbury & Districts will work directly with the individual who tested positive, the school board, and school, and conduct timely case and contact follow up and provide direction. To protect the privacy of individuals, Public Health will not routinely identify the school if a case is confirmed in a school setting. Schools boards and schools will communicate directly with the school community in the event of a positive case in a school setting.
In the instance of a confirmed COVID-19 outbreak in a school, Public Health Sudbury & Districts will publicly report the outbreak, identify the affected school, and describe any closures that have resulted from the outbreak. An outbreak in a school will be declared if there are two or more cases of COVID-19 in a 14-day period that have some link with each other, and with evidence that infection occurred at the school.
If individuals are identified as close contacts of a case in a school setting, Public Health Sudbury & Districts will contact them or their parent or guardian directly to provide direction. If you have any questions related to individual schools, please contact the school directly.
For general information on schools and COVID-19, click here or call Public Health Sudbury & Districts at 705.522.9200 (toll-free 1.866.522.9200).
Prevent the spread of COVID-19
-Wash your hands often and when visibly dirty for 15 seconds.
-Cover your cough or sneeze with your arm or a tissue, throw the tissue in the garbage and wash your hands.
-Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
-Continue to practise physical distancing, because any close contact could be a possible exposure to COVID-19.
-Masks or face coverings must be worn in all indoor public places in Sudbury and districts, and they should also be worn in other settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained.
– Avoid contact with people who are sick.
-Self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
-Stay home if you are unwell and get tested.
If you have a COVID-19 symptom or have been exposed to the virus as informed by Public Health or the COVID Alert app, get tested. As of September 24, 2020, the Province of Ontario has updated the eligibility and testing criteria for COVID-19 assessment centres. Stay informed and seek testing if necessary.
Travel information
All residents who are planning to travel should be aware that COVID-19 is still circulating at different levels around the province. The safest options are to stay in the area of your home community or to stay in the region.
– For anyone who has recently travelled, visit the Public Health Agency of Canada website for updates on COVID-19 exposures.
– If you think you have travelled somewhere (within or outside of Ontario) where you may have been exposed to COVID-19, call us at 705.522.9200 (toll-free 1.866.522.9200).
– Anyone who has travelled outside of Canada is directed to self-isolate for 14 days from their arrival in Canada.
Updates about COVID-19 testing, confirmed cases, and outbreaks in Greater Sudbury, the District of Sudbury, and the District of Manitoulin are posted online.
For more information or if you have questions, please visit phsd.ca/COVID-19 or call Public Health Sudbury & Districts at 705.522.9200 (toll-free 1.866.522.9200).
Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about the province’s response to COVID-19.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
