COVID-19 Update: From the Porcupine Health Unit

We have just received news from the Ministry of Health that things are changing with our school messaging to align with the COVID-19 Variant of Concern : Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance (Version 2.0 – February 12, 2021). This will greatly resolve any confusion between our previous guidelines and those already put in place by the Case and Contact team.

Single-symptom screening

Staff, students and children with any new or worsening symptom of COVID-19, even those with only one symptom, must stay home until:

• They receive a negative COVID-19 test result;

• They receive an alternative diagnosis by a health care professional; or

• It has been 10 days since their symptom onset and they are feeling better.

The screening tool on the ministry site https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ has been updated to reflect the changes.

Isolation requirement for household contacts of symptomatic individuals

All asymptomatic household contacts of symptomatic individuals are required to quarantine until:

• the symptomatic individual receives a negative COVID-19 test result or
• an alternative diagnosis by a health care professional.

If the symptomatic individual does not seek COVID-19 testing, all household contacts must quarantine for 14 days from their last contact with that symptomatic individual.

If  a high risk contact of other cases in community have household contacts who are staff, students of schools or child in day care, we will be advising them to isolate at least until the first test result of the high risk contact and potentially longer.