RENFREW COUNTY — Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU) confirmed five more positive laboratory-confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) throughout Renfrew County and District (RCD) on Tuesday, bringing the total of confirmed cases in RCD to seven.
On Sunday, March 29 the RCDHU confirmed the first death related to COVID-19. “We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the individual who died today”, states Dr. Robert Cushman, Acting Medical Officer of Health, Renfrew County and District Health Unit. “I am asking everyone again to make every effort possible to ensure the safety of the community by practicing physical distancing and staying home.”
- A woman in her 60’s, tested in Ottawa at Brewer Arena Assessment Centre on March 16. She remains at home on isolation and is being monitored. The case is associated with travel.
- A woman in her 50’s, tested in Perth on the March 29. She remains at home on isolation and is being monitored. No travel is associated with the onset of symptoms.
- A male in his 20’s, developed mild symptoms on March 22. He was tested at home by paramedics of The County of Renfrew Community Paramedic Program on March 28. He currently remains at home on isolation and is being monitored. No travel is associated with the onset of symptoms.
- A woman in her 30’s, developed mild symptoms and was tested on March 19 at home by the paramedics of The County of Renfrew Community Paramedic Program. She currently remains at home on isolation and is being monitored. The case is associated with travel.
- A woman in her 30’s, developed symptoms and was admitted to Pembroke Regional Hospital. She was tested on March 27, has been discharged from hospital and remains on home isolation. The case is associated with travel and is a close contact of a confirmed case.
All necessary precautions are being followed to ensure the safety of the patients, the public, and the health care workers. As of yesterday at 12:00 p.m., COVID-19 cases and tests in Renfrew County and District are as follows: seven confirmed cases, one death, 333 total tests have been administered with 161 having a negative result and 165 tests are pending results.
RCDHU is conducting case and contact management with appropriate individuals and organizations. All affected parties will receive specific instructions on self-isolation and self-monitoring based on exposure.
“We are seeing more cases in the community and we continue work with our health system partners to ensure the safety of the public,” said Dr. Cushman. “I cannot stress enough that it is everyone’s responsibility to practice physical distancing.”
RCDHU is reminding residents that the best way to prevent further spread and to reduce the risk of significant illness is to practice physical distancing which include the following measures: Avoiding non-essential trips in the community. If you have to go into the community for an essential trip via taxi or ride-share, be sure to keep the windows down; Avoiding visits to long-term care homes, retirement homes, supportive housing, hospitals, hospices and other congregate care settings unless the visit is essential; Talk to your supervisor, manager, or employer about the possibility of working from home. If you have meetings planned, consider doing them virtually instead of in person; Avoid sending children to daycare; Individuals should stay home unless necessary; If you spend time outside maintain a two metre distance from other people.
Additionally, practice the following measures to reduce the spread of germs including COVID-19: Clean your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub; Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then clean your hands; If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your sleeve and then clean your hands; Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, unless you have just cleaned your hands; If you are ill, stay home; Avoid contact with people who are sick; and get your flu shot.
There will be no more media releases to identify new cases. Case counts will be updated on RCDHU’s website daily at 12:00 p.m. 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 Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-000, or Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre at 1-844-727-6406 or your health care provider. You can also call RCDHU at 613-735-8654.
Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19. For more information, visit the RCDHU website at https://www.rcdhu.com/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-2/, or for COVID-19 information for workplaces, visit: https://www.rcdhu.com/covid-19-information-for-workplaces/.
