With one active case of COVID-19 between Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, Hastings-Prince Edward Public Health says we need to continue doing what we’ve been doing.
Last Thursday Public Health reported a new lab-confirmed case of the virus for the first time since May 18th. “This person is following all the rules,” Hastings-Prince Edward Public Health’s Acting Medical Officer of Health Doctor Alexa Caturay tells the MyBancroftNow.com newsroom. While personal information is not being shared to protect the person’s privacy, Caturay says there is no risk to the public. The person is self-isolating and all of their close contacts have been tested and are self-isolating as well if necessary.
“The risk for transmission in our region remains low,” Caturay says, adding there is no reason for anyone in the region to be worried by this new case.
It is the 44th case reported by Public Health. Of those, 38 people have recovered and five people have died. As of Wednesday morning, over 18,000 people have been swabbed for the virus.
“I want to highlight that everyone who lives in our region has been doing a good job of following the things we’re asking them to do,” Caturay says. With that in mind, she says it’s important to guard against complacency. “The way we’ve had to live our life over the past six to eight months, of course, it’s starting to feel a little constrained,” she says. Caturay says it’s important though that we continue to follow the guidelines set by Public Health and continue to adjust to this “extraordinary” situation. “We’re doing all the right things to protect each other,” she says.
“I really wish I could tell you with some kind of confidence what the next couple of months will look like,” she says. “What I may tell you today, may look very different tomorrow.” With that in mind, Caturay says she is confident that whatever does happen, Public Health will be prepared for. “The team working at Public health are fantastic,” she says. “We are ready for what comes next.”