A summary of the key events from the Public Health Sudbury and Districts for the past seven days shows 10 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed and 10 more active cases were resolved. At the end of day Dec. 9, there were eight active cases in the PHSD service area, all of whom are self-isolating, said a summary provided by the health unit on Thursday.
PHSD said since case tracking began in the Sudbury jurisdiction in March, there have been 242 confirmed cases, with 234 of those being resolved.
Of the identified trends in the past week, there were seven incidents identified as the result of close contact with confirmed cases. One case was reported as travel-related and one case was associated with an outbreak. The exposure source for the last case is unknown.
This means that Public Health identified how these people were exposed to COVID-19 and was able to take quick action to prevent further spread. The source of exposure remains unknown for one case, said the summary.
It also reported that five of the cases were from the Greater Sudbury area while five cases were from the Manitoulin area.
PHSD also revealed that for all 10 cases, by the end of day on Dec. 9, contact tracing information was available. Through its investigation PHSD was able to identify 141 other individuals who had close contact with those original 10 persons.
"Public Health follows up directly and regularly with every high-risk close contact to monitor them for symptoms, ensure they are self-isolating, and make recommendations for testing according to provincial guidance," said the summary.
The summary also included some general safety advice for Sudbury and area residents at this time of year.
One was to be extra cautious while holiday shopping and visiting local stores. Wear a mask, keep your physical distancing and wash your hands often.
The summary also advised not to engage in holiday travel unless necessary and to continue practising the usual pandemic precautions. It said staying at home was the preferred course of action.
PHSD is also advising residents to put off personal holiday celebrations with friends and to stick to immediate family and those within your safe circle.
