NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit has confirmed the first positive case in our area for COVID-19.
The Health Unit says, “The individual is a woman in her 60s who had travelled internationally. The individual followed self-isolation recommendations upon returning home and called the Health Unit, who referred her to the North Bay Regional Health Centre’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre, where she was assessed and tested. The individual was not admitted to hospital, she was sent home to continue self-isolation and the Health Unit is monitoring her. The Assessment Centre took all necessary precautions including infection control, assessment and testing processes.”
“The individual followed public health COVID-19 recommendations and was assessed and tested using our district’s coordinated health care system response, which includes public health, primary care and acute care services,” said Dr. Jim Chirico, Medical Officer of Health. “We need to continue to work together as a community to keep one another healthy. The measures we are asking people to do now will save lives. Stay home if you are sick or in self-isolation and physically distance yourself from others.”
The Health Unit expects there will be more individuals who test positive for COVID-19 within the Health Unit’s district and advises the public plays an important role in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Physical distancing (two metres) will help to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. Protect yourself and those around you by regularly washing your hands or using alcohol-based sanitizers, not touching your face, covering your cough or sneeze and staying home when sick.
Currently, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19. It is important to remember that four out of five people with COVID-19 have no symptoms or mild symptoms. People who are mildly ill should isolate and care for themselves at home. Most will recover in one to two weeks by simply treating the symptoms.
If you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it, first self-isolate and then use Ontario’s Self-Assessment Tool to see if you need to seek further care. If you need further assistance call your health care provider or the Health Unit at 1-800-563-2808. This will help keep the emergency room resources available for trauma and emergent care patients. If you have severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, you should call 911 and mention your travel history and your symptoms.
Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.
For more information please visit myhealthunit.ca/COVID-19.
