A question being heard a lot these days by the Porcupine Health Unit is whether we’re experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases caused by a new variant of the Omicron virus.
“No, we’re not,” says COVID-19 response coordinator Tracy Bayley. She explains that you might see numbers in PHU’s weekly snapshot that say the overall case rate has doubled, or the percentage of positivity is up by 37%.
“If we’re talking double, that could just mean from two cases to four case,” she says. “We just need to use caution when interpreting those numbers that we’re reporting, but overall, we’re not seeing the surge here in the health unit area.”
On a related matter, Bayley says wearing a mask is still a personal choice, while acknowledging that the number of cases will increase as we’re stuck indoors more.
“At this point, you know, it remains a personal choice to wear a mask. It’s definitely a layer of protection they can use to protect themselves as the fall gets closer and closer.”
It’s also your call whether your kids wear masks in school. Bayley says it’s not necessary.
