Pickleball exposure accounts for 29 COVID-19 cases in Thunder Bay district

Twenty-one new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Thunder Bay district on Tuesday, more than doubling the previous single-day high for new cases.

The latest positive tests bring the number of confirmed cases in the district since Nov. 6 to 69, with that accounting for 37 per cent of the total 186 cases since the start of the pandemic.

Thunder Bay District Health Unit officials said 29 of those cases are related to spread among people who played pickleball, a relatively low-impact racquet sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong.

Health unit officials have urged anyone who played pickleball at the Polish Legion, Moose Hall, North McIntyre Rec Centre or West Thunder Community Centre between Nov. 3 and Nov. 13 to immediately isolate. 

The outbreak at the Adult and Teen Challenge of Central Canada men's and women's centres in Thunder Bay is associated with 24 cases.

All of the 21 new cases are located within Thunder Bay and the surrounding area, with all individuals currently in isolation. As of Tuesday morning, there were no patients with COVID-19 admitted to hospital.

The health unit said all but one of the 21 cases is a close contact of an existing case.

There are 56 known active cases in the Thunder Bay district.