The newest confirmed case of COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce is a product of community transmission, meaning the virus is spreading locally.
Dr. Ian Arra, the medical officer of health for the Grey Bruce Health Unit, said the virus is similar to the flu in the way it spreads, but there is a big difference.
“It is different from the flu in how severe it is. The fatality rate from this bug is 10 to 20 times more compared to the flu,” said Dr. Arra.
Dr. Arra said the location of a confirmed case is irrelevant now that there is evidence of community transmission.
“The cases that we’ve identified are self-isolating. I’m not worried about the ones we’ve identified, we need to worry about the ones we have not. We need to be careful with every encounter we have, not specifically with that location we know of,” added Dr. Arra.
He said they continue to conceal the locations of cases due to the patients’ right to privacy, adding the best course of action is to assume it’s in your community and to act with extreme caution.
To date, there have been 11 confirmed cases in Grey Bruce, including one person who has since recovered.