Increasing COVID cases, approaching flu season causing looming concern in Sudbury

There were 11 COVID-related deaths last month in Sudbury.

The COVID Risk Index for the area has been at High for the past five weeks. Medical officer of health, Dr Penny Sutcliffe said trends are moving in the wrong direction.

"We continue to be very busy on the COVID front," she said.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 per day has almost doubled since September. There's been an increase in hospitalizations; and outbreaks at health care settings, long-term care homes and retirement homes, and there were 11 COVID-related deaths in October, compared to seven in August and September.

"With more cases of COVID of course we are seeing more severe outcomes unfortunately, including deaths," Sutcliffe said. 

"As we look to the fall my concern of course is as it gets colder and we're more indoors, we're not protecting ourselves as much with masking and distancing. Of course, we might expect more infections and with that more severe illnesses and more burden on the health care system," she said.

As of Nov 1, Health Sciences North (HSN) — the hospital in Sudbury — had 50 admitted patients with confirmed COVID-19, three in the intensive care unit and 47 in other units. There were 55 past-positive cases (patients previously admitted for COVID-19, who are no longer positive, but are still being cared for in hospital) and a further 22 patients under investigation with test results still pending. 

As far as the higher number of outbreaks go, Sutcliffe does reassure that those haven't led to horrific results like early on in the pandemic.

"Thankfully we are not seeing that now. We're seeing illnesses, we're seeing people who are vulnerable and who are getting severe diseases, but certainly not the tragic death rates and outcomes that we saw early on in the pandemic."

HSN has several outbreaks reported:  on level 8 of the North tower, on level 4 of the North tower, and on the Addictions Medicine Unit Lodge 3.

Units where there is a COVID-19 outbreak reported are generally not allowed any designated care partners or visitors, although there are exceptions.

As COVID numbers go in the wrong direction, Sutcliffe is also watching out for influenza trends.

"There was an earlier start of the influenza season, more severe in terms of the numbers of [influenza] cases in the southern hemisphere and so there certainly is a concern that is looming for us," she said.

But there is good news.