COVID-19 in Sudbury & districts: Your weekly update March 11, 2021

Reporting period: Thursday, March 4, 2021, to Wednesday, March 10, 2021.

March 11, 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 March 5, 2021: 143 new cases, 47 cases were resolved, and 1 death occurred. Fourteen (14) outbreaks were active, including 8 in local schools, 2 in community congregate living settings, 1 in each of the following settings: a retirement home, a large multi-unit dwelling, a local recreational facility and a workplace. Three (3) outbreaks were declared over in the past 7 days, 2 in schools and 1 in a community congregate living setting.  At end of day March 10, 2021, there were 208 active cases in our service area, and 11active outbreaks. Two (2) cases were hospitalized, while the rest were self-isolating.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a total of 841 local cases of which 633 are resolved, and 15 people have died in our service area. Three (3) cases in total have been confirmed as a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC).

Trends in the past seven days

• Of the 143 new cases in our service area, 41 were associated with an outbreak, while 66 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. None of the cases were travel-related, while the source of exposure was unknown for 11 cases.  Twenty-five (25) cases remained under investigation.
• One hundred and forty (140) cases reside in Greater Sudbury, while 3 reside in the Sudbury District.
• By end of day on March 10, contact tracing information was available for all 143 of the new cases. Through our investigation, we identified 520people who had high-risk close contacts with these cases. That is an average of 4 high-risk close contacts per case, compared to 11.0 contacts per cases 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 71.9 new cases per 100 000 population (compared to 49.3 for the previous 7 days).
• The percent positivity was 1.99% for the period of March 2 to March 8 (compared to 1.36% for the previous 7 days).
• For the period of March 3 to March 9, the effective reproductive number (Rt) was 1.3 for Northern Ontario, and 1.1 for Ontario overall.
• There were no new local cases that were confirmed to be a COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC) in the past 7 days. There were, however, 69 cases for which preliminary tests indicate the potential to be one of these variants. Further laboratory testing is underway to confirm if these cases are, in fact, a VOC.

Stay COVID-safe

• It’s been one year since the COVID-19 virus was first reported in our community, now more than ever, it is still important to follow public health measures.
• On Friday March 12, we will be moving to the Grey – Lockdown level of the provincial framework. This means added measures will take effect to stop the spread of COVID-19. For example, indoor gatherings must only be with members of your household and retail outlets must follow strict capacity limits.
• As the snow is melting, that sparks many of us to spend time outdoors. If you plan on exploring a hiking trail or walking in your neighborhood, remember to bring a face-covering in case it is difficult to maintain physical distancing from people you do not live with.
• Have you or your child been told to self-isolate due to possible exposure to COVID-19? During your time of self-isolation, it’s important that you self-isolate away from other household members. This means staying in a separate room or on another level of the home. Compliance with self-isolation can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 to other family members.
• Dealing with COVID-19 quarantine or self-isolation may bring up all kinds of feelings including fear, loneliness, irritability, guilt or sadness. Isolation can be challenging and CAMH offers suggestions that may help you and a loved one through this challenging time.
• Public Health is immunizing several Phase One priority groups concurrently to ensure the most vulnerable populations are protected the quickest. For details on upcoming vaccination clinics, visit our vaccination clinics Health care workers, adults born in 1941 or earlier, and recipients of chronic home care services can pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccination. Once you pre-register, you will be contacted to book an appointment when your name is randomly selected from the registry and when vaccine becomes available in your area. Pre-registering does not mean you will get an appointment immediately.

What’s new

• We have been receiving an average of 500+ calls a day in our Call Centre, and this is above a large volume of calls related to case and contact management. With the very high volume of calls, we are doing our best to return all calls, but please know that it may take several days. Your patience is appreciated.
• COVID-19 vaccine pre-registration is now available for adults 80 years of age and older (anyone born in 1941 or earlier) and individuals who receive chronic home care services.  Pre-registering does not mean you will get an appointment immediately. Don’t wait, pre-register here.
• Health care workers in Sudbury and districts can still pre-register for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. Once you pre-register, you will be contacted to book an appointment when vaccine becomes available. Pre-registering does not mean you will get an appointment immediately. Don’t wait, pre-register here.
• If you’ve been advised to seek testing for COVID-19, and would like to get testing at Health Sciences North in Sudbury, please consider using the online appointment request form. It is very efficient and can help reduce call volumes and wait times. To find the nearest assessment centre, please visit the COVID-19 assessment centres page.

Message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health

Being moved to Grey-Lockdown is an unfortunate necessity. With the increasing rates of COVID-19 cases, a number of active outbreaks, the growing proportion of variants of concern (VOCs) and ample evidence of community spread, pulling the emergency brake is an immediate action needed to help disrupt the chain of transmission and slow the spread of COVID-19, which has been accelerating at an alarming rate in recent days and weeks. Today, in consultation with the area school boards and leadership from other schools, I instructed all public and private schools to transition to virtual learning throughout our service area with the exception of Chapleau as an additional layer of protection. With current numbers of cases and VOCs, we have hit a tipping point whereby the benefits of face-to-face learning are outweighed by the risks in of COVID-19 transmission in our community. Public Health’s ability to prevent further spread through case and contact follow-up is increasingly stretched and we are at capacity. Moving into the Lockdown zone will be the circuit breaker we need to set us on a steady course. I recognize these developments will be difficult for many. Now is the time to support one another, commit to the requirements in the Lockdown zone and continue to be kind and patient.

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).