Algoma Public Health will now be identifying regions where positive COVID-19 cases are found.
Both Elliot Lake Mayor Dan Marchisella and Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Christian Provenzano stressed concerns about how numbers of positive cases were being released with no specifics as to region or community.
Provenzano says his first reaction when they would not give him information about the specific location of the first case was that it was rather strange, but he is pleased to see the health unit changing up its reporting.
Agency associate medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Loo says now that they have larger numbers, they will start identifying where the positive cases of COVID-19 are by four sub-regions; Sault Ste. Marie, Elliot Lake, east Algoma and west Algoma.
She says the method of reporting is used to protect an individual’s identity in smaller communities.
Dr. Loo adds the public should maintain COVID-19 protocols including hand-washing, physical distancing and staying home.
“Every time we have someone test positive, they could have been sick for a week before they got the test, and they could have been exposed the two weeks before that,” explains Dr. Loo.
“So testing only gives us a picture of the people who are exposed and infected in the past – we need to take action based on what is happening right now, and every single community in Algoma and every single person in Algoma has to be behaving as if there’s community-spread happening right now in our communities.”
The 11th and 12th positive cases were reported by Algoma Public Health over the past two days, with the 11th case providing evidence of community transmission.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers from Algoma Public Health:
- 1,120 tested
- 12 positive
- 897 negative
- 211 pending
- 0 deceased
- 6 resolved
Positive cases of COVID-19, broken down by region:
- 8 in Sault Ste. Marie and area
- less than 5 in central and east Algoma
- less than 5 in Elliot Lake and area
- 0 in north Algoma
Here are the COVID-19 reporting regions for the Algoma District, as defined by Algoma Public Health:
- Central and east Algoma includes: Blind River, Bruce Mines, Hilton, Hilton Beach, Huron Shores, Jocelyn, Johnson, Mississauga First Nation, Plummer Additional, St. Joseph, Tarbutt and Tarbutt Additional, The North Shore, Thessalon, Thessalon First Nation
- Elliot Lake and area includes: Elliot Lake, Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, Serpent River First Nation, Spanish
- North Algoma includes: Dubreuilville, Michipicoten First Nation, Missinabie Cree First Nation, Wawa, White River
Sault Ste. Marie and area includes: Batchewana First Nation, Garden River First Nation, Laird, Macdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional, Prince, Sault Ste. Marie.