Changes are being made to the way Northern Health officials conduct COVID-19 contact tracing in the region to align themselves with the rest of the province.
According to a release this morning (Feb. 8), those who test positive for the virus will now receive just one phone call alerting them of the lab-confirmed results, to which the official on the other line will provide self-isolation instructions.
However, those residents will not be getting a second phone call to confirm the end of quarantine, Northern Health explains, noting the information initially provided to the single case will also include the isolation timeline that must be followed.
“Northern BC residents who receive a message with a COVID-19 positive test result, should self-isolate immediately, along with those in their household, and advise their close contacts outside of the household that they should self-monitor for symptoms,” the statement reads.
“Public Health will be in contact; it is important to note that with rapid options for receiving COVID-19 test results (text or SMS), many people will know their result before they get a call from Public Health.”
Northern Health still had the highest COVID-19 positivity rate compared to other authorities, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), at a 14.2 per cent seven-day moving average as of Thursday (Feb. 5).
Northern Health's seven-day moving average for COVID-19 test-positive cases is 14.2 per cent as of Feb. 8, 2021. By BC Centre for Disease ControlThat’s nearly triple the provincial rate of 5.6 per cent.
Northern Health says the change also stems from ‘significant improvements’ in its follow-up timeline with those who became infected, especially those in high-priority groups.
“December’s [2020] shift focused resources on detailed contact tracing for cases related to high-priority settings and circumstances, such as known clusters and outbreaks, health care workers, school communities, industrial projects and Indigenous communities. This work continues.”
As of this publication, the region has recorded 3,681 COVID-19 infections since March last year, including 85 deaths.
There are currently 374 active cases, 15 people in critical care of ICU among 18 total hospitalizations, and 3,213 recoveries.
In terms of vaccinations, Northern Health has administered 5,111 doses since the first ones arrived on Dec. 21, 2020, including 4,999 of the first dose.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is scheduled to provide an update on the pandemic at 3 p.m. this afternoon.
