Health information

Local COVID-19 update provided by public health

In the second weekly Facebook Live session of its kind during the COVID-19 outbreak, Dr. Piotr ‘Peter’ Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health and CEO with Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) updated the public Friday afternoon. The video is posted at facebook.com/hpepublichealth after each broadcast. Dr. Oglaza’s message remains the same where he recommends people stay at home, keep a two-metre distance from others, and wash hands often. He also answered submitted questions, which included community transmission, use of masks, facility outbreaks and sanitizing groceries.

COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION
Dr. Oglaza noted the first case of COVID- 19 acquired through community transmission has been documented in HPE. “What this means is that this individual is not someone who has been travelling or in close contact with a returning traveller, this case was picked-up somewhere in our community, which represents that first evidence of community transmission,” said Oglaza. “This is a key change in our region and emphasises and reinforces the message that everyone needs to take necessary precautions to prevent the spread.” The message remains the same he said, “Stay home and only leave for essential reasons such as to get groceries, preferably once a week or less frequently if you can, or attending any critical appointments.” He noted there is a further limit to social public gatherings. “It is not permitted for more than five people to gather in public in Ontario and this is a reduction from 50.”

HAND HYGIENE
Dr. Oglaza again emphasised the importance of individuals maintaining good hand hygiene, especially when individuals have been out in public, saying people should be mindful of commonly touched areas, such as railings and door knobs. “I recommend that you perform hand hygiene with alcohol-based hand sanitizer or hand washing,” said Oglaza. “And when you return home, make sure you wash your hands and avoid touching your own face because that’s how you can transmit the virus into your body.”

RETURNING TRAVELLERS
The legal requirement for anyone returning from any international travel is to stay in quarantine for 14 days reminded Oglaza, which he said is different to self-isolating. “This is a legal requirement that will have serious implications if it is not followed. Individuals who are returning travellers would have to refer also to their individual orders they have been handed at the border.”

HPE REPORTING
HPEPH are often asked why the location information of positive COVID-19 cases is not shared with the public. “I am not able to provide any comment of lab-confirmed cases in any particular communities and this is done in the interests of personal privacy,” said Oglaza. He explained it would potentially be easier to identify individuals in smaller communities, unlike say in Toronto for example. “The key message is it doesn’t matter if it’s your neighbour who is a confirmed case or if it’s someone 100 kilometres away from your home. We are still asking you to practise the same recommendations, do the same things to protect yourself and others and prevent the spread.”

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Dr. Oglaza noted information for people requiring additional mental health resources is constantly being updated on the HPEPH website and Facebook page. He said Addictions and Mental Health Services HPE launched a pandemic help line that will operate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, by calling 613.967.4737. He noted there are accessible tools to support kids and teens, and specifically the kids help phone line at kidshelpline.ca or 1.800.668.6868.

FACILITY OUTBREAKS
The definition of an outbreak at facilities (which includes long-term care homes and hospitals) has been changed from two cases to one case, and can apply to residents or staff members for an outbreak to be declared. “That’s a new development, but that’s intended to have a very low threshold for declaring an outbreak, which is meant to raise awareness that there has to be immediate implementation for more stringent rules,” said Oglaza. “Once the infection gets into the nursing home, it is going to impact a number of individuals potentially and it is going to have serious consequences, so we need to work very hard to protect those individuals.”

SANTIZING GROCERIES
Dr. Oglaza said washing vegetables and fruits before consumption has always been recommended to protect people from pathogens and to wash off any debris, and he recommends continuing with that. In terms of packaging, he said there is a theoretical risk, but wiping packages will add an extra level of protection. He said with canned foods and bulk supplies people don’t need to wipe every single can. “If we leave the can alone in the pantry for say two days, that virus is no longer viable,” said Oglaza, who said people maybe missing the point. “Our risk mainly comes from interaction with one another, touching commonly touched areas then touching our face, so I would say our risk for going out in public would be more related to the railing or a door knob we touched rather than an apple or a can of food, so I would focus on areas and activities that are most risky where there is something we can do to minimize that risk.” He said when you return, wash your hands, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, unpack your groceries, wash your hands again, and that’s what everyone can do to minimize the risk.

MASKS
When asked if individuals should wear masks, he said, “A mask alone is not going to do anything, and wearing gloves is really tricky because I’ve seen individuals wearing gloves, touching various items and wiping their nose or touching their face, so it completely defeats the purpose. They might feel safe themselves and that they are in control of this, but really it is not something I would recommend as it might put them at more risk.” He said the same applies for home-made scarves and masks. “They may not even provide the same level of protection as the mask, depending on the type of material being used.”

COVID-19 STATISTICS (AT APRIL 7):
Lab-confirmed cases: 17,062 (Canada); 4,726 (Ontario); 24* (Hastings Prince Edward counties)
*(Transmission cause – travel: 9; close contact: 4; community:9; pending: 2)

Reported probable cases: 287 (HPE)

Facility outbreaks (HPE): Hallowell House, Picton (1 staff member confirmed); Belleville General Hospital In-patient Quinte 5 (2 patients confirmed)

Deaths: 345 (Canada); 153 (Ontario); 1 (HPE – community transmission)