Public Health Grey Bruce has released a statement regarding positive COVID-19 test results in students from one household. The full statement from Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra is below.
“The Grey Bruce Health Unit is working with the Bluewater District School Board to
address cases of COVID-19 associated with students attending Osprey Central School
in the Municipality of Grey Highlands. As a result of the positive cases, the proposed
school re-organization will be delayed.
Public Health is the lead in all outbreaks and case management and will let you know if
you are a close contact with someone who has COVID-19, based on a thorough risk
assessment completed only by Public Health.
Determining who is a close contact is a decision that can only be made by Public
Health. Anyone identified as a contact to the confirmed cases, both in and outside the
school environment, will be contacted by a Public Health case manager directly. Those
at risk of infection will be contacted within 24 hours of the investigation.
Anyone NOT contacted by Public Health is not considered at risk and need not
take any additional steps including asymptomatic testing.
The Grey Bruce Health Unit will be deploying a mobile assessment centre in the
Osprey community later this week to test those who are considered at risk as
identified by Public Health. There is no value in anyone being tested ahead of this as
results would be unreliable and would put individuals at risk of more testing than is
required.
While there are cases associated with the school, these cases belong to one
household. In our assessment, the transmission to them did not take place at the
school. Currently there are no outbreaks, that is evidence of transmission from
person to person, in any schools or childcare centres in Grey Bruce.
The family of the children who tested positive have been contacted directly by our
COVID-19 Case and Contact Management Team. We are working with the family and
the Bluewater District School Board to identify others, both in and out of the school
environment, who may have been exposed and determine their risk level.
All contact tracing and determination of individual and community risk is made by Public
Health. This is true of all cases, whether in schools, workplaces or the community. A
health care provider or school official cannot make this decision.”