KENORA – The Northwestern Health Unit is reporting nine new cases of COVID-19.
All nine cases are in the Kenora area, including at least four involving local schools, and another at a daycare. Some others are "community-based," according to the health unit.
NWHU medical officer of health Dr. Kit Young Hoon said the high concentration of cases in Kenora led the agency to depart from its usual policies and name the city. The health unit normally only identifies cases based on broad regions that include multiple municipalities and First Nations.
“With nine cases in one community, I think the people who live in the Kenora area need to be aware that there could be increased risk of COVID-19, and they must be more diligent in following prevention measures.”
Those include strategies public health agencies have been promoting for months – frequent hand-washing, physical distancing, mask wearing, avoiding touching one’s face, and staying home and getting tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
With investigation ongoing, the health unit had not yet identified any “obvious linkages” connecting the cases, said Dr. Young Hoon. Most had been tested after displaying COVID-19 symptoms, she added.
The health unit assured the public contact tracing is underway, saying anyone identified as a close contact will be notified and advised on next steps.
Area school boards have identified one case each at Ecole Ste-Marguerite Bourgeoys and St. Thomas Aquinas High School, and two at Valleyview Public School.
A COVID-19 outbreak has not yet been declared at Valleyview, but that could change pending investigation by the health unit. The criteria for an outbreak involves two or more cases at a single school, with at least one believed to have been infected in the school setting.
That had not yet been established, Dr. Young Hoon said.
It is unknown whether the cases involve students, teachers, or staff. That information is not released by the health unit, in order to protect privacy.
Similar privacy concerns prevented the health unit from revealing the child care centre involved in one of the new cases, Young Hoon said.
The spike in cases is raising concerns over testing capacity in the region.
“Definitely there will be an increased demand on assessment centres,” said Young Hoon. “We are encouraging that people think carefully about whether they need to be tested.”
The problem is likely to be compounded by the arrival of cold and flu season, she added, encouraging residents to get flu vaccines.
Note: This article has been updated to include additional information released by the Northwestern Health Unit at a Friday afternoon press conference.
