COVID-19 roundup: No new cases, false-positive result removed from regional data

There were no new cases of COVID-19 reported by the Grey Bruce Health Unit Tuesday, and a previously listed case has been declared a false-positive result.

The false positive, reported in the Blue Mountains, has now been removed from the region’s data, leaving a total regional case count of 101.

Twenty-five healthcare workers have contracted the virus including one presumptive positive case.

Dr. Ian Arra, Grey Bruce’s medical officer of health, said the false positive case and the presumptive positive case still pending are the result of increased testing among local healthcare workers.

Both of the cases are staff from long-term care facilities.

“They’re linked to an initiative in testing asymptomatic in long-term care,” Arra said.

Arra said a directive to test all staff at long-term care facilities has come down from the province. Unlike the previous direction, public health has not taken the lead in the testing.

“We support them … a part of not leading it lends itself to, is this going to create more false positives and the work that would be entailed in dealing with them,” Arra said.

Several false-positive results have been recorded locally as a result of mass testing asymptomatic patients in long-term care facilities.

“You will see more false positives if the test is not designed for screening. The COVID test is designed for diagnosis, not for screening,” Arra said. “For example, lung cancer, why don’t we screen everybody in the public for lung cancer? Because we’re going to find more false positives and send them to surgery while they didn’t have the cancer. The CT scan is a diagnostic test. It wasn’t designed for screening.”

Arra said misinformation has played a role in the increase of false-positive test results.

“Major media outlets, big-city media outlets, really led the public to believe that testing for COVID is a silver bullet and everybody needs it, and the public mobilizes and puts pressure on the system and this is what you see – people being tested everywhere.”

There are four active reported cases in the region with 92 recovered and five cases referred to other health units.

None of the active cases are currently hospitalized, and no local deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.

No local long-term care facilities or retirement homes are under a declared COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s daily situation report, regional contact tracing is currently exceeding provincial targets with 100 per cent of all cases contacted within the first 24-hours.

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The Harrison Park Family Campground in Owen Sound will open Friday with many restrictions still in place.

The campground will only be booked to 50 per cent capacity.

The use of shared facilities – washrooms, showers, laundry and kitchen – will be restricted until the city receives the approval of public health officials to open such amenities.

As a result, the campground can only accommodate self-contained units.

The campground office will operate between 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. starting Friday, however in-person service will not be available.

Check-in is to be done by telephone. Firewood is to be purchased during registration and delivered to the campsite. Rental items – extension cords, power adapters – are not available. Grocery items and ice will not be available to campers.

The Harrison Park Pool remains closed.

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The Municipality of Meaford is getting creative after having to cancel summer camps amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meaford and The Imagination Studio have partnered to create two “Camp in a Box” activities.

The Magic and Science Kit and Camp and POM POM Sculpture Kit and Camp include art kits pre-recorded viewable content.

Meaford has also partnered with the Meaford Culture Foundation who is providing partial bursaries.

For more information, and the link to bursary applications, visit www.meaford.ca/recontherun.

Camp in a Box and Virtual Programs are also eligible for Recreation Fund subsidies.

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The provincial government has pledged an investment of up to $15 million to help protect Agri-Food workers during COVID-19.

The province is expanding the Agri-food Workplace Protection Program by providing cost-share funding for farmers to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and implement workplace modifications and other measures.

“By significantly expanding the program, farmers can take additional steps to improve health and safety for their workers and ensure the continued supply of locally grown food during the COVID-19 outbreak,” a press release said.

Some of the measures already approved through this program include purchases of PPE, temporary housing for ill workers, building physical barriers for worker separation, enhanced hand washing facilities and a tent rental to expand lunchroom space.

Hundreds of temporary foreign workers have contracted the virus while working at farms in Ontario. Large outbreaks have been recording in Leamington and Simcoe.

The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit confirmed that 164 of 216 migrant farmworkers, all from Mexico, had tested positive for the virus.

At least two workers have Mexico have died of the disease.

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