COVID-19 in Sudbury & districts: Your weekly update April 8, 2021

Reporting period: Thursday, April 1, 2021, to Wednesday, April 7, 2021.

April 8, 2021 — The 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 April 7, 2021: 164 new cases, and 188 cases were resolved. There were 3 COVID-related deaths. Sixty (60) new cases tested positive for a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC), which is 37% of the cases reported in this period. Twenty (20) outbreaks were active in the past week, including 7 in local workplaces, 2 in a hospital, 3 in long-term care homes, 2 in daycares, 2 in community congregate settings, and 1 in each of the following settings: a shelter, a multi-unit dwelling, a post-secondary school, and a private outdoor social setting. Six (6) outbreaks were declared over in the past 7 days, 4 in workplaces and 1 each in a hospital and a long-term care home. At end of day April 7, 2021, there were 243 active cases in our service area, and 14 active outbreaks. Twenty-four (24) cases were hospitalized, while the rest were self-isolating.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a total of 1 600 local cases of which 1 330 are resolved, and 23 people have died in our service area. Four-hundred and fifty-seven (457) have screened positive for a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC).

Trends in the past seven days

• Of the 164 new cases in our service area, 43 were associated with an outbreak, while 96 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. Two (2) cases were travel-related, while the source of exposure was unknown for 11 cases. Twelve (12) cases remained under investigation.
• One hundred and forty-seven (147) cases reside in Greater Sudbury, while 14 reside in the Sudbury District, and 3 in Manitoulin District.
• Contact tracing information was available for all cases reported from March 28 to April 3. Through our investigation, we identified 404 people who had high-risk close contacts with these cases. That is an average of 2 high-risk close contacts per case, compared to 4 contacts per case in the previous 7 days. 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 seven-day incidence rate was 82.5 new cases per 100 000 population (compared to 78.4 for the previous 7 days).
• The percent positivity was 3.69% for the period of March 30 to April 5 (compared to 2.48% for the previous 7 days).
• For the period of March 30 to April 6, the effective reproductive number (Rt) was 1.0 for Northern Ontario, and 1.20 for Ontario overall.

Stay COVID-safe

• Yesterday the Government of Ontario announced a Stay at Home Order. Remember, stay home to the fullest extent possible. When making an essential trip, such as getting groceries or going to the pharmacy, practice public health measures  for the entirety of the outing. This includes wearing a face covering, keeping six feet apart from others, washing your hands often and well.
• This spring break do your part to stop the surge.
  • Screen everyone, everyday. If you have a symptom, get tested right away. Until you have results, you, and everyone else you live with must stay home. If you are a close contact of a confirmed case, stay home until you have completed your required self-isolation (even if you had a negative test result).
  • Avoid non-essential travel and do not host out-of-town visitors as per stay at home order.
  • You are encouraged to be physically active and take advantage of the outdoors while following public heath guidance related to physical distancing and wearing masks, when appropriate.
• Stress from thinking about COVID-19 may cause difficulty sleeping. This can have an impact in many areas of your life. Sleep is essential for your health and wellness. Check out this advice on how to get sleep and stay asleep.
• The vaccine can reduce the chance of getting COVID-19 and if contracted, it can make symptoms milder. By keeping symptoms mild, the health care system will be less overwhelmed.

What’s new

• Ontario enacts Provincial Emergency and Stay-at-Home Order.
• As of Wednesday, April 7, individuals who are 60 years of age and older in this calendar year (born in 1961 or earlier) are now eligible to book appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Select pharmacies across the province are booking appointments for AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines for eligible people aged 55 or older in 2021. A small number of area primary care practitioners are also beginning to receive AstraZeneca vaccine this week.
• Public Health is reminding those with highest-risk health conditions that you are eligible to book your COVID-19 vaccine appointment. Visit https://www.phsd.ca/health-topics-programs/vaccines-immunizations/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine/upcoming-vaccination-clinics-for-specific-priority-groups/ to find out if you are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination, and for information on upcoming clinics.
• To help the community understand where outbreaks are occurring, Public Health is posting information about all outbreaks on its website, when there are no personal privacy concerns related to the situation. For a list of outbreaks, visit ca/COVID-19/data.

Message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health

The third declaration of provincial emergency combined with the province-wide Stay-at-Home order highlight the seriousness of the situation we find ourselves in. Like you, I hope these measures will keep everyone safe and our health system intact as we work to vaccinate people as quickly as we can. The spread of variants of concern (VOCs) is troubling and something we are monitoring very closely. Please stay home unless essential to do otherwise. If you need to leave to access a pharmacy, grocery store, health care services, work that cannot be done remotely, or to get outdoor exercise, please do so safely. Keep your distance, wear your mask, and stay home if you have any symptoms. We are making good progress with vaccines and as of April 7, 2021, we have provided 43 751 total doses in our service area. I know that waiting for your turn or for a family member to be vaccinated can be difficult. Thank you for your patience as we remain committed to get vaccine into arms as quickly as we can. Stay home and stay safe.

Regular updates

Visit phsd.ca/COVID-19/data for regular updates about COVID-19 testing, confirmed cases, as well as outbreaks and potential exposures in Greater Sudbury, the District of Sudbury, and the District of Manitoulin. In addition, a detailed epidemiology summary is posted Mondays and Thursdays that includes information about cases over time, case characteristics, probable exposures, case outcomes, testing, and outbreaks in facilities.

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).