The Windsor Essex County Health Unit has launched a new pandemic status indicator to show the current risk level in the community.
The system uses four main indicators to determine risk level including virus spread and containment, health system capacity, public health capacity, and incidence tracking capacity.
The health unit has placed the current risk level at orange or medium-risk due to a mild increase in viral transmission and a decreased level of incidence tracking due to a slower test turnaround.
The yellow or low-risk level indicates a declining trend in new cases and less than 30 per cent of new cases due to community transmission. The community will be placed at a red or high-risk level if there is an increasing trend of new cases, higher community transmission, and a high number of outbreaks. The risk level indicator will be updated on a weekly basis.
"We have to work together to have a better understanding of the risk to our community and then take action when it's needed. If it gets to red time I think that's where we'll have to act immediately to contain the threat," said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed.
While in the orange level, the health unit recommends limiting your close contacts to your household and avoiding indoor gatherings with anyone outside of your close contacts.
"If our community is in low risk, there may be some activities I can do like hang out with my friends but if I'm in the medium-risk category should I be hanging out with my friends or not? That's the question that we need to ask," said Dr. Ahmed.
A full list of monitoring indicators and recommendations can be found in this week's epidemiological YouTube update.
On Friday, the health unit reported four new cases of COVID-19 in the community. Two cases were acquired through community transmission and two were close contacts of a confirmed case.
A new outbreak has been declared at Lifetimes on Riverside after a resident tested positive for COVID-19.
There are 42 active cases in the community.
