Third confirmed case of COVID-19 reported by Public Health Sudbury and Districts
Certain passengers from an international flight and two domestic flights, asked to self-isolate
A third confirmed case of COVID-19 has been reported by Public Health Sudbury and Districts.
In a news release Saturday evening, Sudbury and Districts Medical Officer of Health Dr. Penny Sutcliffe said the patient is a woman in her 40s, who recently returned to Canada after travel abroad. The case is not related to Sudbury's other two confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Sutcliffe said the woman is in self isolation at home. She returned to Canada March 10, and was assessed and tested at the Health Sciences North's COVID-19 Assessment Centre on March 18.
Public Health officials wouldn't confirm which community in their coverage area the woman lives in.
This is the fifth confirmed case of COVID-19 in Northeastern Ontario. There have also been confirmed cases in Timmins, and in the Algoma region.
Passengers from three flights asked to self-isolate
In the release, Sutcliffe said Public Health Sudbury and Districts will contact anyone considered to be a close contact of the individual. Close contacts include people who sat near the woman on the her flights, both on her return to Canada, and domestically.
The woman travelled on Air Canada flight AC835 from Geneva into Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Tuesday, March 10. Anyone seated in rows 18 to 22, as well as flight crew that may have served those rows are considered close contacts. Those people are asked to self isolate for 14 days. Anyone who returned to Canada from abroad should already be self-isolating.
The woman also travelled on two domestic flights. On March 10, she was on Air Canada fight AC421, from Montreal to Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Passengers in rows 40 to 44, as well as flight crew that may have served those rows are considered close contacts, and are asked to self isolate for 14 days.
She was also a passenger on Porter flight PD533 on Wednesday, March 11 from Toronto to Sudbury. Those seated in rows 16 to 20 are considered close contacts, as well as flight crew that may have served those rows, and are asked to self isolate for 14 days.
"Seeing a travel-related case in our community serves as a critical reminder that if you've recently travelled outside of the country, you must self-isolate for 14 days to reduce the spread of COVID-19," said Sutcliffe in the release.