The new tool helps residents assess in real time the risk of transmitting COVID-19 locally
Public Health Sudbury and Districts has launched its new online COVID-19 risk index to help area residents assess in real time the risk of transmitting COVID-19 locally and make informed decisions about how to protect themselves.
“The COVID-19 Risk Index will be updated weekly to include the most up-to-date and relevant data on the state of COVID-19 in our community,” said Dr Penny Sutcliffe, MD’s health officer for Sudbury and Districts. the press released on Friday.
“This is an easy-to-use tool that further helps residents understand the overall risk of COVID-19 spreading in our service area, along with their personal risk considerations. We hope that this new tool will help residents find it easier to navigate life with COVID-19 and make informed decisions about COVID-safe precautions. ”
The COVID-19 Risk Index is a visual representation of the overall risk of community transmission. The level of risk is determined using seven separate indicators related to community transmission, the impact on the capacity of our health system and severe health outcomes.
The index has four levels of risk – low, moderate, high, very high – and each level has the relevant recommended public health guidelines for COVID-safe practices.
As of Friday, June 10, the current overall risk to our service area is moderate. To determine the level of risk at any given time, the current data for each indicator is compared with the levels observed at local wave height with the Omicron COVID-19 variant in January 2022.
The COVID-19 risk index can help people make informed decisions about their behavior based on local data, the press release said.
The guidelines provided by the Index are particularly useful now, as the province removes most of the remaining mandates for provincial masks, effective Saturday, June 11, and encourages Ontario residents to continue wearing the mask if they deem it appropriate. .
Current vaccination against COVID-19, combined with the use of the COVID-19 risk index and related safe practices for COVID, are critical actions to continue to protect health and the health system.
As always, people should continue to wear a tight-fitting, well-made mask if they feel it is appropriate for them based on factors such as their own health, whether they have received all the recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and health considerations. and the vaccination status of close contacts.
Masking remains a requirement for those recovering from COVID-19, having symptoms of the virus, or being in close contact with someone with COVID-19.
If you think you may have COVID-19 or have been exposed to the virus, visit covid-19.ontario.ca/exposed to confirm that you need to isolate yourself and learn more about evaluation for treatment or testing if you meet conditions, and informing others of your exposure.
The COVID-19 Risk Index will be updated every Wednesday and complements many other data and reports regularly provided by Public Health to help the community understand the severity of the disease caused by COVID-19.
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