No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus were reported Tuesday for the Peterborough area, however, evidence of community transmission of the virus has been found, according to the region’s health unit.
Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Peterborough Public Health’s medical officer of health, said Tuesday the number of confirmed cases in the region remains at 28. The health unit’s jurisdiction includes the city of Peterborough, Peterborough County, Hiawatha First Nation and Curve Lake First Nation.
Four of the 28 cases remain hospitalized while three people have been reported as recovered.
Salvaterra said for one of the confirmed cases of COVID-19, health officials have not been able to identify a clear link with travel or exposure to another known or suspected case.
“We concluded it must have been transmitted locally,” said Salvaterra. “That is our evidence for local transmission.”
One other case may also be linked to community transmission but test results are pending, Salvaterra said.
“We’ve always known positive cases are just the tip of the iceberg and that they don’t reflect all of the COVID-19 activity for the area,” she said.
Salvaterra says evidence of community transmission should serve as a “stronger reminder” that everyone needs to keep practising physical distancing (at least a 2-metre distance), stay at home as much as possible and wash hands regularly and thoroughly.
“We now have evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitting even before someone has symptoms,” she said. “It’s good evidence to show that transmission occurs within that 48 hours before someone may even notice that they’re ill. People can be transmitting even before they know they’re ill.”
“We have to use it as a universal precaution that anyone could be transmitting the virus right now in our community.”
She said it’s “good signs” there were no new cases overnight and that it’s taken a month before the first signs of community transmission.
“However we can’t let our guard down – we need to practise our distancing and ensure we aren’t transmitting to others,” she said.
The medical officer of health said as of Tuesday, 752 people have been tested, with 432 tests returning as negative and 292 cases still under investigation.
The outbreak at St. Joseph’s at Fleming remains the same, with one resident with COVID-19 and three staff members in self-isolation.
“The outbreak seems to be under control,” said the medical officer of health.
Two health-care workers are among the 28 cases, which includes a paramedic based out of Durham Region and a Peterborough Regional Health Centre staff member whose case is travel-related and who has been self-isolating since March 6, the health unit reports.
Anyone who suspects they have symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to take the online assessment tool.
More to come.
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