Northwestern Health Unit hopes uptick in positive COVID-19 cases 'an anomaly'

Nearly three weeks went by without a new case of COVID-19 in the Northwestern Health Unit's (NWHU) catchment area, and then, a flurry of new cases, spread throughout the region, were discovered.

Three of those new cases, he said, did not have any symptoms of the virus, which also caught officials slightly off guard.

"Now that the testing has been opened to many people who may not have symptoms but who are wondering whether they may have been exposed, then we are potentially going to get a few more people who are asymptomatic who are going to test positive," said Gemmill.

He said the cases detected last week were all in people who required the COVID-19 test for other reasons than showing symptoms, such as before undergoing an unrelated medical test or treatment.

"This summer, I think we're going to see a rumbling, bits and pieces of this," he said, noting that people now need to get ready for a second wave of COVID-19 to come in the fall and winter.

Gemmill was hopeful that since restrictions on who can now receive a COVID-19 test have been lifted, frontline workers, or anybody else who is curious about their potential to carry the virus will get tested.

The NWHU has also reduced the hours on its COVID-19 hotline, Gemmill said, due to fewer callers. He still urged people who show any symptoms of the virus to call the hotline and book a time for a test.

The active cases in NWHU jurisdiction are in Dryden, Fort Frances, Red Lake and Sioux Lookout.