Northern Ontario has its first confirmed case of COVID-19.
Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health with Public Health Sudbury & Districts confirmed the first positive case of COVID-19 in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts.
Officials say the male in his 50s presented himself to the emergency department at Health Sciences North on March 7, 2020.
The hospital took all the necessary precautions and followed standard operating procedures, including infection control, testing, and assessment. Following testing, the patient was discharged home where he remains in self-isolation, following Public Health direction. The patient has experienced cough and shortness of breath (difficulty breathing).
While the Public Health investigation is ongoing, it is known that on March 2 and 3, this individual attended the PDAC (Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada) 2020 convention in Toronto. Public Health Sudbury & Districts is actively engaged in follow up and is collaborating with the Ministry of Health and the local health system. A number of North Bay mining companies and local dignitaries attended that PDAC event in Toronto.
“Having a confirmed case in our area is not unexpected given the transmission of this virus around the world,” Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Sudbury & District Medical Officer of Health.
“Although this is concerning, as a community and as a health system, we have been preparing for COVID-19. Our focus is on breaking the chain of transmission to limit the spread of infection and as a precautionary measure, we are asking those who attended PDAC 2020 to monitor for symptoms for 14 days,” said Dr. Sutcliffe.
The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Ministry of Health advise all travellers to monitor their health for fever, cough, and difficulty breathing for 14 days after arriving back in Canada. If symptoms develop within 14 days, returning travellers are directed to self-isolate as quickly as possible and immediately call their health care professionals or public health to make arrangements to be tested.
Symptoms of COVID-19 can range from mild to severe and include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing (shortness of breath). Complications from the COVID-19 can include serious conditions, like pneumonia or kidney failure, and in some cases, death.
There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the North Bay but the Sudbury case brings the Ontario total to 37 as of Tuesday morning.
