SUDBURY -- The Timiskaming Health Unit has declared an outbreak at Young-Davidson Mine in Matachewan.

In a news release issued Sunday afternoon, the health unit’s Acting Medical Officer, Dr. Glenn Corneil, said public health officials are working with mine management to contain the outbreak but did not confirm how many individuals at the mine tested positive for COVID-19.

A workplace outbreak is defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with an epidemiological link in the workplace (e.g., same work area, same shift) within a 14-day period where both cases could have reasonably acquired their infection in the workplace.

A contact tracing investigation remains active and officials say more information will be provided as it becomes available.

"As the third wave of COVID-19 continues to penetrate into Ontario and the Timiskaming district with increasing variants of concern (VOCs), everyone needs to do their part in order to ensure we do everything we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19," said Dr. Corneil in the release.

The Timiskaming Health Unit has seen an influx of cases over the last week with numbers increasing steadily for the first time in months.

According to the health unit’s website, there are currently 28 new cases in the area after four new cases were recorded on Saturday.  Since the beginning the pandemic there have been 165 confirmed cases of COVID-19; 28 of which have tested positive for Variants of Concern.