March 31, 2020 - Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) is reporting that an individual residing in the Thunder Bay District is the fourth confirmed COVID-19 case in the TBDHU region. The case is related to travel to Eastern Canada and is not related to any previously reported cases.
March 29, 2020 - Today, Dr. Janet DeMille, Medical Officer of Health of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU), confirmed the third case of COVID-19 in the TBDHU region.
“This was not unexpected. This person is the spouse of the first case that was reported on Friday and was considered a probable case at that time.” said Dr. DeMille. The couple was tested at the same time at the COVID-19 Assessment Centre operated by the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and the second set of results was received late on Saturday.
We’re learning a lot these days, aren’t we? The current COVID-19 situation is expanding our collective vocabulary with all kinds of new terms that we may not have heard before, like “flattening the curve”, “asymptomatic”, and most important of them all, “social distancing.”
March 28, 2020 - Yesterday afternoon, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) received a report of a second confirmed case of COVID-19 in the TBDHU region. This is travel related and unrelated to the first case of COVID-19 reported earlier on that day.
An individual in their twenties who returned from the United States approximately two weeks ago developed symptoms while self-isolating at home. They phoned TBDHU and were referred to the COVID-19 Assessment Centre of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre where they were tested.
March 27, 2020 - Today, Dr. Janet DeMille, Medical Officer of Health of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU), confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the TBDHU region.
March 11, 2020 - Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) is aware of the COVID-19 case reported by Public Health Sudbury and Districts. This individual attended the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2020 convention in Toronto on March 1-4, 2020.
As a precaution, we are advising those who attended the convention to self-monitor until March 18. If an individual develops symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath), please call TBDHU at (807) 625-5900 or 1 (888) 294-6630 or call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000 and we will help access testing and treatment.
Is 2020 the year we ditch the handshake for a more germ-free greeting?
It’s what I was taught to do when you greet someone – you shake their hand, of course! After many years of practice, I think I give a pretty good handshake. I’m no weakling at this – I make sure I grasp the other person’s hand firmly. If I’m really excited to meet them (like if I were meeting Tom Hanks), I might even place my other hand on top of theirs to make sort of a “hand sandwich.” Too much touching? Possibly so.
February 19, 2020 - The Thunder Bay District Health Unit is now offering free routine dental care services to eligible low-income seniors. These services are available through the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (OSDCP) in collaboration with dental providers in Thunder Bay and District.
February 10, 2020 - The outbreak of respiratory illness at Bethammi Nursing Home located at 63 Carrie St. has been declared over. All restrictions have been lifted.
The Health Unit is urging people to stay at home and refrain from visiting hospitals and long-term care facilities when feeling unwell to avoid spreading infections to those most vulnerable: young infants and children, the elderly and those with other chronic illnesses.
The Health Unit reminds the public to prevent getting and spreading infections by:
January 31, 2020 - The Thunder Bay District Health Unit is monitoring the novel coronavirus (referred to as 2019-nC0V) situation and the response from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Health.