COVID-19 Community Risk Index "Very High" Says Peterborough Public Health
/Peterborough Public Health (PPH) has stated the community COVID-19 Risk Index has reached “very high” for the first time since its launch on March 30 announced on Wednesday.
Dr. Thomas Piggott has strongly urged the public to continue wearing masks despite the Ontario Government lifting the mandates on March 21. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
“I know this is not the news we wanted to hear before a long holiday weekend but the safest course of action is to wear a mask and avoid indoor social gatherings and high-risk settings where the transmission can occur,” said Dr. Thomas Piggott, Medical Officer of Health. “This is important for us all to decrease transmission, but especially those at high risk of severe illness with COVID-19.”
The Index is updated every Wednesday by 4 p.m. It uses data from wastewater surveillance signals, hospitalizations and deaths, percentage positivity of PCR tests, community-reported rapid-antigen tests and the local case incidence rate per 100,000 people.
The Index provides a risk level for each data point based on current values, which then is used to inform the overall risk level for the community.
Due to the “very high” risk levels, PPH offers guidance to the community:
Mask: Strongly Recommended for all interactions with people from outside your household.
Social Gatherings: Avoid social gatherings in all indoor settings.
High-risk Settings: Avoid attending high-risk settings.
