In response to declaring a critical threshold of COVID-19 cases in Grey Bruce, the Grey Bruce Health Unit has redeployed staff and resources to address this critical juncture.

All staff, with appropriate training that are available, are working on contact tracing and case management. Ensuring case management is the lynchpin to limit any further spread from current cases. An updated case management process has been introduced based on the experience of jurisdictions that have seen large-scale contact tracing numbers.

A Class Order from the Medical Officer of Health will ensure cases and at-risk contacts comply with any direction provided by public health case managers.

Large-scale vaccine clinics are being deferred to next week. Those vaccines are directed to residents in shelters and congregate settings where the risk of transmission would be higher with the current surge. Dedicated mobile teams, made up of health unit staff, EMS and volunteers, will attend 31 settings, up for 11 previously scheduled, to administer vaccine.

The phone lines for core programs of public health remain open and functioning. The Grey Bruce Health Unit Helpline is shut down with that staff re-deployed. Please visit our website as the answers to most inquiries are on our website COVID-19 information. We strongly ask the public to refrain for calling the health unit, for the next 48 to 72 hours, unless matters are of an urgent nature. If you have a health care emergency, call 911.

We are asking the public to help. To be most conservative, everyone across Grey Bruce needs to consider themselves a carrier for the next 48 hours until we reach all case and their contacts. If contacted by public health, be prudent in following any direction that is given.

Dr. Ian Arra, Medical Officer of Health, Grey-Bruce