COVID-19 Surveillance Reports during the Holidays

Point Edward, ON – Lambton Public Health (LPH) will be modifying the COVID-19 surveillance reporting schedule during the holidays. This follows a similar approach across the province with reports from provincial health authorities and other health units.

Our plan for reporting COVID-19 epidemiology is listed in the table at the end of this news release.

"We have been operating with a variation of this model for several weeks now with the detailed COVID-19 surveillance report not provided on weekends," said Siobhan Churchill, Epidemiologist for Lambton Public Health.

Lambton Public Health will continue with all case and contact management procedures during the holidays. This is the critical step public health supports to identify new cases, potential contacts to a case and then moves to further reduce spread by directing individuals to self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19. These procedures support the investigation for a confirmed case and help to reduce further transmission in the community and settings.

"Individuals have the tools to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the community," states Dr. Sudit Ranade, Medical Officer of Health for Lambton County. "Treat your situation like COVID-19 is always around you."

Ranade adds, "Recent trends show that COVID-19 cases in our region continue to rise as seen with an increase in reported outbreaks, and our contact tracing has identified many contact exposures from confirmed cases. Limiting all non-essential social activities and staying home when you are sick continue to be critical steps you can take in our fight against this COVID-19 pandemic."

We all have a role to play to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. We are stronger when we all work together. If Lambton Public Health contacts you, be honest and understand that isolating close contacts is critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Holiday Surveillance Reporting Schedule:

Sources:

• COVID-19 dashboard report: https://lambtonpublichealth.ca/2019-novel-coronavirus/
• Detailed COVID-19 surveillance reports: https://lambtonpublichealth.ca/2019-novel-coronavirus/summary-of-covid-19-cases-in-lambton-county/

Exceptions:

• On a date with no detailed surveillance reports - a news release will be issued to provide notification of an outbreak.

-30-

Please contact:

LPH Media Inquiries