THUNDER BAY – The Northwestern Health Unit announced one new case of COVID-19 in the Rainy River District Monday, as the number of active cases there and across the NWHU’s territory continue to grow.
The health unit reported 23 active cases across its catchment area as of Monday, though four of those were considered probable and had not yet been confirmed.
Of the active cases, 13 were located in the District of Rainy River, while the remaining 10 were within the Kenora region.
The health unit has warned of alarming rates of spread in the Rainy River area in recent weeks. That spread has led to outbreak declarations at the Rainycrest long-term care home in Fort Frances and the Atikokan General Hospital in recent days.
Two individuals were hospitalized with the virus as of Monday.
The health unit reported a 0.94 per cent test positivity rate for the week of Dec. 28 to Jan. 3, on 1,807 tests conducted.
The NWHU does not disclose specific geographic information on new cases, classifying them only within broad regions, several of which include well over a dozen communities. A full list is available on the health unit’s website.
The NWHU has reported a total of 177 confirmed cases since the pandemic began. 157 of those were considered resolved, while the virus claimed one life in December.
