After a considerable drop in cases over the last week, COVID-19 cases are up again in the region. Dr. Kit Young Hoon, medical officer of health at the Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU), said it is normal to see a fluctuation in cases but she is unsure what the risk is.
Four new cases were reported today with three in Kenora and one in the Dryden/Red Lake region. The probable case from the Dryden/Red Lake region from last week is now a confirmed case.
There are currently 23 active cases in the region, eight in the Dryden/Red Lake region, nine in Kenora, two in the Rainy River District and four in Sioux Lookout. Since March there has been a total of 267 confirmed cases.
Young Hoon said the increase in cases seems to be different from those in the previous weeks.
“Sometimes when we saw spikes of cases it was because of contacts with previous cases getting tested and turning out to be positive,” Young Hoon said. “Now the cases are coming from different directions, different communities so even though it’ll be in one region, it seems a number of different communities are being affected.”
Young Hoon said that while cases in the Rainy River District and Sioux Lookout have dropped, they have begun to increase in Kenora and the Dryden/Red Lake area which still poses concerns to other communities.
“At this point I have to say the case investigations are too early for me to really fully understand what this means for the region and what this means with respect to risk,” Young Hoon said. “We’re still trying to gather that information and assess it.”
Young Hoon said she would like to remind the public that COVID-19 is very likely to spread through close contact with others which is why it is important to stay at least two meters from anyone who does not live with you.
“People can pass the virus to others before they have symptoms so relying on how you feel does not guarantee you do not have COVID-19,” Young Hoon said. “Not only will staying away from others help to prevent the spread, it also helps with case and contact management.”
