Reports

What is the COVID Alert app?

The COVID Alert app notifies you with an alert on your phone if you may have been exposed to the virus and then gives you advice on what to do next. The app also lets others know if you test positive without sharing any personal information.

The app is voluntary: The more people who use it, the more effective we will be at stopping the spread of COVID-19.

The app is available for iOS and Android. You can download it on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

The app does not use GPS or track your location. Your privacy is protected.

Visit the Government of Canada's website for help with COVID Alert.

How does the COVID Alert app help Public Health?

COVID Alert is just one part of the public health effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. The app does not replace manual contact tracing by the Brant County Health Unit. The app helps with Public Health's existing contact tracing efforts by quickly identifying new contacts.

The more people who use the app, the more effective we will be at stopping the spread of COVID-19.

What should I do if I am notified by the COVID Alert app that I was exposed?

If the app notifies you that you were exposed, you should monitor your symptoms and seek a test for COVID-19 from the nearest assessment centre. You should self-isolate while you wait for your test results.

More information can be found on the Government of Ontario's website for what to do if you've been exposed to COVID-19.

See our fact sheet, which lays out next steps for those testing positive. BCHU case and contact management staff will be in contact with you to inform you of your positive result within 24-48 hours of receiving it.

Viruses constantly change through mutation. These changes, also known as variants, are expected to occur over time. Sometimes new variants emerge and disappear. Other times, new variants emerge and persist. This is a natural phenomenon for all viruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

Three main COVID-19 variants of concern have been detected around the world:

• The Kent or Alpha variant called B.1.1.7 is the most common variant worldwide at this time, and has been detected in Ontario.
• A Delta variant called B.1.617 that has recently been detected in Ontario.
  
• A Beta variant called 1.351 has been detected in Ontario. 
• A Gamma variant called P.1 has been detected in Ontario.

Experts are studying how the virus is changing by understanding the genetic make-up of the virus. This will help us understand how changes to the virus might affect how it spreads and what happens to people who are infected with it.

Early data suggests that the United Kingdom variant likely spreads more easily. There is no evidence at this time that it is associated with a reduction in vaccine efficacy. 

Both Pfizer and Moderna are looking into whether or not their vaccines will work on the new strain of the virus. So far, there is no evidence that shows the vaccine will not work. More research is needed, and Health Canada will watch this closely.

Following public health measures is the best way to protect ourselves and loved ones against the spread of COVID-19, including variants of concern:

• Avoid social gatherings with those outside your immediate household
• Limit non-essential trips outside your home
• Practice physical distancing
• Wear a face covering
• Wash your hands often
• Avoid enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces and crowded places

Stay home when you are sick, isolate from household members and schedule an appointment for testing.

Isolation timelines depend on when the person was exposed, if they had symptoms, if they got tested, why they are isolating, and whether they are a close contact or a low-risk contact. The Brant County Health Unit contacts everyone who tests positive and provides them with guidelines for how long they and everyone in their household needs to be isolating.

• A household contact is anyone who lives with the person being tested like parents, siblings, boyfriend/girlfriend, spouses or roommates. It can include people who provide care to the person in the home (such as bathing, toileting, dressing, feeding). It can include other people who don't live with the person but may have similar unprotected contact such as boyfriends/girlfriends living in other households or people who visit indoors for prolonged periods. Unprotected means without wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing. 
• A close contact, also known as a high-risk contact, is someone exposed to a person who tested positive for the virus. Exposures can occur in the home, other indoor places where physical distancing is difficult to maintain, and even outdoors, if people are close together for longer periods of time.  

Brant County Health Unit contacts all people who test positive for COVID-19 and identifies close contacts through a detailed review of factors such as the individual's symptoms, where they have been, and with whom they have interacted. The following are examples of people who may be considered higher risk or close contacts:  

• A person who came within two metres (six feet), for a significant period of time, of a person who has tested positive; the longer they were within two metres (six feet), the higher the risk.
• A person who had close physical contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 (e.g., shaking hands, hugging or kissing).
• A person who may have been coughed or sneezed on by a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
• A person who may have shared a cigarette, a vape, a drink or food with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

The reproduciton number is the average number of secondary cases generated by an index case. A reproduction number greater than 1 means that the epidemic is growing, while a reproduction number less than one means the epidemic is coming under control.

Taxi/private transportation services (e.g. Uber, Lyft, etc.) are permitted to operate during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Taxis operating in Brant are required to follow the recommendations specified by public health. To further reduce the risk of spreading the disease we are recommending that Taxis/private transportation services implement the following recommendations below: 

• Before taking a taxi or private transportation service, complete a self-screen for COVID-19. Do not proceed with the trip if you do not pass the screening or feel unwell.
• Passengers must wear a face covering prior to entering the vehicle and not to remove the covering until they have safely exited the vehicle. Considerations must be taken for customers with exemptions and best efforts shall be made to only allow entry to customers wearing a non-medical mask/face covering.
• It is mandatory that drivers wear a face covering when providing service to a customer.
• Avoid taking pooled rides or sitting with multiple passengers who is outside of your immediate household.
• Passengers should sit in the seat furthest from the driver (e.g., in the back seat on the right side) to create physical distance.
• If weather permits, roll down the windows and ask the driver to avoid using the recirculated air option for the car's ventilation during your trip.
• If you are able, consider handling your own personal bags and belongings during pick-up and drop-off. If assistance is required, remember to perform hand hygiene after handling your belongings.
• If possible, consider contactless transactions that limit or eliminate close contact and the sharing of items.

Individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 or are COVID-19 positive and need to travel for essential health care appointments should drive themselves or ask a friend or family member to take them if at all possible. If an individual needs to take a taxi/ride share, they should follow the applicable public health guidance. 

Wash your hands frequently (including before and after handling groceries), avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, cover coughs or sneezes, clean and disinfect surfaces, and stay home if you are sick.

Currently, there are no reports of COVID-19 transmission through handling groceries or similar items, or foodborne-related illnesses.

The majority of COVID-19 cases have been linked to person-to-person transmission through close direct contact to someone with respiratory symptoms or close contact with a case in the incubation period who was later confirmed to have COVID-19. 

Practice physical distancing, when possible, including while at the grocery store. Limit trips to the grocery store to once per week. This helps limit the number of people in the store and assists with physical distancing.

Wear a face covering to reduce the risk of transmission.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Fever (temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater)
  
• New or worsening cough
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
  

Other symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Sore throat 
  
• Hoarse voice
  
• Difficulty swallowing
  
• New olfactory or taste disorder(s)
  
• Nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain 
  
• Runny nose, sneezing or nasal congestion -- in absence of underlying reason for these symptoms such as allergies, post nasal drip, etc.
  

Please complete the Ontario Self-Assessment Tool to determine your next steps. Your child should complete the COVID-19 Screening Tool for Children in School and Child Care.

Follow the below steps to ensure you are taking appropriate precautions and not further spreading the virus.

Stay home

• Do not use public transportation, taxis, or rideshares
• Do not go to work, school, or other public places
• Your healthcare provider or public health unit will tell you when it is safe to leave

Limit the number of visitors in your home

• Only have visitors who you must see and keep the visits short
• Keep away from seniors and people with chronic medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, lung problems, immune deficiency)

Avoid contact with others

• Stay in a separate room away from other people in your home as much as possible and use a separate bathroom if you have one
• Make sure that shared rooms have good airflow (e.g., open windows)

Keep distance

• If  you are in a room with other people, keep a distance of at least two metres and wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth
• If you cannot wear a mask, people should wear a mask when they are in the same room as you

Cover your coughs and sneezes

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hand
• Throw used tissues in a lined wastebasket, and wash your hands; lining the wastebasket with a plastic bag makes disposal easier and safer
• After emptying the wastebasket, wash your hands

Wash your hands

• Wash your hands often, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water
• Dry your hands with a paper towel, or with your own cloth towel that no one else shares
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available

Wear a mask over your nose and mouth

• Wear a mask if you must leave your house to see a healthcare provider
• Wear a mask when you are within two metres of other people
• Visit our face coverings webpage for more information
  

There are many ways that you and your children can stay physically active, even while maintaining the physical distancing guidelines. Some outside ideas include:

• Creating a backyard obstacle course
• Collecting nature items like twigs and pinecones, and using them to build something
• Going for a bike ride
• Chalking it up (chalk the sidewalk or driveway)
• Going for a walk and playing eye spy
• Using chalk to make fun games (like hopscotch!)
• Driving to a local trail and going on a hike

Staying indoors? Try some of these:

• Baking or cooking together
• Painting or drawing a picture
• Crafts – get creative!
• Listening to music or having a dance party to your favourite songs
• Building a puzzle
• Having a movie night
• Reading a book
• Writing in a journal or creating a story, maybe even a comic book!

Also, sticking to a schedule is helpful. Routines help provide a sense of stability and structure. Create a schedule that works for the whole family. Consider things such as:      

• Keeping consistent wake-up and sleep times
• Scheduling time for meals
• Scheduling time for schoolwork; go to the Ministry of Education Learning portal to access math and literacy skills, and other learning resources
• Getting outside for breaks and exercise
• Ending the day's routine by 3:00 p.m. (or the same time as their regular end of day)
• Keeping an evening routine that you are used to

There have been limited reports of animals becoming infected with COVID-19. There is currently no evidence that pets or other domestic animals play a significant role in the spread of COVID-19.  

If you are sick, it is recommended that you avoid contact with pets and other animals,  just like you would other people, until more is known.

Learn more by accessing Public Health Ontario's fact sheet.

Please refer to the Province's Roadmap to Reopen for current gathering limits.   

Physical distancing involves taking steps to limit the number of people you come in close contact with. It is recommended that individuals make sure to avoid crowds and maintain a distance of two metres (six feet) from those around you.

Remember: While you may not feel sick and while we know these measures may be an inconvenience, please be mindful of the members of our community who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others. We are all in this together.

The following program is currently suspended until further notice:

• TB testing clinics
• Food safety exams
  

For the most up-to-date information regarding travellers returning to Canada, please visit the Government of Canada's website.

Coronaviruses make up a large family of viruses that circulate in both humans and other animals. Human coronaviruses are common and are usually associated with mild illness, similar to the common cold and can spread easily between people. There are some coronaviruses that have spread from animals to humans, which have caused more severe illness in humans, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

The risk of developing severe disease from the 2019 novel coronavirus may be higher if you have a weakened immune system. This may be the case for:

• older people
• anyone with chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer, heart, renal or chronic lung disease

On December 31, 2019, health authorities in China identified a new (or novel) coronavirus (referred to as 2019-nCoV), after several reported cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China. On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially named the new illness COVID-19, where COVI stands for coronavirus, D stands for disease and 19 represents 2019, the year it was first identified in people.

It is believed that COVID-19 originated in another animal. It is the seventh strain of coronavirus.

Coronavirus infections are diagnosed based on laboratory testing. A specific test for COVID-19 has been developed to confirm an infection, if one is suspected. Testing is done by taking a swab from the back of the nose or throat. An assessment is done prior testing to determine if it is necessary based on symptoms and potential exposures. 

Coronaviruses can spread when the droplets due to cough or a sneeze from an infected person are breathed in deeply by anyone who is in close proximity to the infected person; similar to how influenza and other respiratory illnesses are spread.

The World Health Organization advises that symptoms may appear in as few as two days, or as long as 10 to 14 days, after being exposed to someone with COVID-19. This time period is subject to change and may be updated as new information becomes available.

Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19.

The Brant Community Healthcare System is accepting donations of medical grade personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff and physicians.

While the kindness and generosity of the community is appreciated, homemade masks cannot be accepted, as they do not comply with Public Health Ontario Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines.