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Health Unit Reports COVID-19 Variant of Concern at Saunders Secondary School

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The Middlesex-London Health Unit was notified yesterday that the positive COVID-19 test of a student at Saunders Secondary School has now screened positive for a Variant of Concern. The Saunders Secondary School community is being notified about the positive screen for a Variant of Concern today and public health staff will follow up with close contacts of the case who were identified previously to ensure they have sought testing and have maintained their quarantine. The Health Unit has indicated that no additional classes will be cancelled and the school will remain open.

All COVID-19 positive tests are now screened to identify the possible presence of one of the more highly transmissible Variants of Concern; the tests that screen positive for a variant are analyzed further to confirm the strain. On its daily dashboard update today, the Health Unit indicated there have now been 19 positive screens for Variants of Concern and four variant-confirmed cases. The analysis to confirm a Variant-positive test can take several weeks.

“All positive tests in Ontario are screened to determine whether one of the variants is present,” says Dr. Alex Summers, Associate Medical Officer of Health with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “Our advice to close contacts of this particular case, and their families remains the same; get tested, monitor yourself for symptoms of COVID-19 and limit the time you spend out in the community.”

The MLHU recommends the following to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection:

  • Ensure close contact is limited to those in your household. If you live alone, consider having close contact with one other household.
  • Maintain 2 metres physical distance from anyone who is not in your household.
  • Wear a mask no matter where you are, or what you are doing (leaving the house, going to the store, interacting with colleagues at work or in the breakroom).
  • Only visit an Assessment Centre to get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19, have been contacted by the Health Unit or received notification through the COVID-Alert app of close contact with a confirmed case.
  • Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 15-20 seconds or use a waterless hand sanitizer with at least 70 percent alcohol content.
  • Cover coughs and/or sneezes with your sleeve or cough into your elbow.
  • Clean high-touch areas, such as doorknobs in public spaces, frequently.
  • Download the COVID Alert mobile app to be notified if you may have been exposed to COVID-19, and to let others know if you test positive for the virus.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s website at www.healthunit.com/novel-coronavirus.

Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit,
519-663-5317, extension 2469 of 519-617-0570 (cell)

Spokesperson:
Dr. Alex Summers, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex-London Health Unit