THUNDER BAY – When the city’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced Friday, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit sounded a note of confidence.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janet DeMille said the patient had followed all public health guidelines by immediately self-isolating after returning from international travel, and reporting symptoms to the health unit.
The city’s second confirmed case, announced Saturday, appears to be less straightforward. It involves an individual in their twenties who returned to Thunder Bay by car after travel to the United States about two weeks ago.
DeMille said Sunday the health unit was still investigating to trace any contacts who may have been at risk, noting it was more complex than the first case.
“There appear to be more people involved with the second case,” she said. “We’re following up with those people, and we have to get in touch with them and see where they’re at.”
DeMille added the health unit is still at work on the investigation into the city’s two other confirmed cases, a couple who returned from travel to Florida. They make up the city’s first case and the third, announced Sunday.
“We’re still following up on the first case,” she said, “but their story’s a bit simpler in terms of what they were doing and where they were at various points in time.”
DeMille reiterated her assessment that there was little risk to those on the couple’s flight into Thunder Bay. They returned over two weeks ago, she said, and were not symptomatic for over 48 hours afterwards – the health unit’s current guideline for determining a patient’s period of infectiousness.
“We’re still looking at the flight,” she said. “However, based on everything I know at the present time, there would be very low risk of transmission.”
To this point, all confirmed cases have been related to international travel. DeMille remains most concerned about individuals returning from travel outside the country who may not be following the federal government directive to self-isolate for 14 days.
“It just reinforces how people coming back here from outside of Canada do pose a risk, and that they could be bringing the virus back with them,” she said. “Our cases up to now have been that, and that’s consistent across the country as well.”
