Porcupine Health Unit confirms 12 new cases, most from James Bay communities

Porcupine Health Unit in Timmins. Apr/20 (Lydia Chubak/CTV Northern Ontario)

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The Porcupine Health Unit recorded 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, one of which was positive for the Delta variant, and most coming from the James Bay and Hudson Bay region.

“The presence of this variant which spreads even more easily than the B.1.1.7 variant is extremely worrisome,” read a June 30 news bulletin released by PHU.

“It is a sign that it is now circulating in our communities. It is more important than ever that everyone follow the public health measures diligently and limit contacts with others who we do not live with.”

As of June 30 at 1:00 p.m., there are currently 82 active cases of COVID-19 in the PHU service area.  There have been 2,067 cases since the pandemic began, of which 1,956 residents have recovered and 29 have died. PHU says 1,079 of those cases have tested positive for Variants of Concern.

If you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it, first self-isolate and complete the on-line COVID-19 Self-Assessment (https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/) to determine your next steps.

If testing is required, seek testing through one of the assessment centres across Ontario (https://covid-19.ontario.ca/assessment-centre-locations/). You can also call the Porcupine Health Unit at 705-360-4819 or toll-free at 1-800-461-1818.