A major COVID-19 outbreak at the Severn Court Student Residence in Peterborough has now resulted in 34 positive cases detected as of 10 a.m. Tuesday (March 2) — an increase of 11 in the last two days.
Twenty-nine of the 34 people who have tested positive are Fleming College students, while the remaining five are Trent University students who attended a gathering. Those five students are now self-isolating at Trent’s Otonabee College.
Of particular concern is three of the cases screening positive for a much more transmissible COVID-19 variant of concern, although the specific variant or variants involved are yet to be determined.
During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Tuesday, medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra said the Severn Court outbreak — the largest COVID-19 outbreak in the Peterborough region to date — has also led to the monitoring of some 200 identified close contacts of the positive cases.
The outbreak is connected to at least one large gatherings held at the privately owned student housing complex on Saturday, February 20th.
“We’re getting reports that there were actually several parties in several of the buildings,” said Dr. Salvaterra, adding “We understand they were students who are in trades programs and students in health care worker programs, which is very disappointing.”
A Section 22 class order issued by Dr. Salvaterra has closed the six-building Wilfred Drive student residence to visitors and requires by law that all those living at the 200-student complex self-isolate. Meanwhile all in-person instruction of some 700 students at Fleming’s Sutherland Campus has been suspended.
“This order defines two groups and requires them to follow specific instructions,” explained Dr. Salvaterra.
“Group A consists of the known positive cases and high risk contacts. They are required to stay in their rooms. No exceptions. Arrangements have been made to provide them with food and other necessities. Our public health nurses call them every day to check in on them and monitor symptoms.”
“Group B is all the other residents who live there (Severn Court Student Residence). The order requires them to self-isolate and only leave their rooms to get food or medication. This group will be tested by paramedics once the surveillance testing has been set up on site.”
Speaking to whether or not charges will be laid against the organizer or organizers of the February social gathering, Dr. Salvaterra said she hasn’t “ruled that out”.
“It will depend on the information we receive from cases and contacts,” she added. “We’re getting more information as the days progress and at some point we may have enough in order to ask the police to intervene.”
Key to any charges being laid, Dr. Salvaterra said, is “enough consistent information” coming forward.
“With this many people, we are getting lots of conflicting information,” Dr. Salvaterra explained.
“Although I am disappointed and can sometimes feel angry, especially when I read some of the social media posts, these students are not typical of the students at Fleming and Trent,” she pointed out. “This is really the actions of a few. If we can identify the people who are responsible for hosting the party, we do have the tools to take action and we will not hesitate.”
“In order to change behaviour, you need more than education,” she added. “There’s a role for enforcement. Given that we’re a year into this pandemic, the time is for enforcement.”
Board of health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell was particularly scathing of those who organized or attended the Severn Court gathering.
“I imagine their decision to ignore the rules around masking, the disregard for the need to physically distance, and to pay not attention to the importance of limiting indoor social gatherings didn’t seem like a dangerous thing to do,” Mitchell said. “They were wrong; they were very wrong.”
“What are the consequences? Thirty-four new cases in our community and more sure to come. The spreading of variants of concern into the broader community. The Sutherland Campus at Fleming closed. Placing at risk people they care about. Taking public health resources away from vaccine rollout. If this outbreak requires an escalation in our threat level, it will mean more restrictions for all of us. Our actions have consequences.”
One of those consequences, acknowledged Dr. Salvaterra, could be the Ontario government placing the entire region into a more restrictive level of its COVID-19 response framework. That’s not to mention the potential of many more positive cases connected to the outbreak that have not yet been detected.
“That is still a possibility and only time will tell,” she said of the possibility of more cases. “Is this the tip of the iceberg? That’s my worry. We will only know as more people are tested and more results are obtained.”
As for the COVID-19 response framework, which currently sees the region at the “Yellow-Protect” level, a downgrade to the more prohibitive “Orange-Restrict” level requires, as one of the measuring sticks, a weekly positive incidence rate between 25 and 39 new cases. A weekly incidence rate in excess of 40 or more would be a precursor to placement at the “Red-Control” level.
Dr. Salvaterra added a big concern is how many of the positive cases and close contacts circulated in the Peterborough community between February 20th and February 25th, when the first positive cases associated with the gathering was confirmed.
“We could have had a lot of spread occurring before people were aware,” she warned.
Meanwhile, in a written statement, Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef decried the “careless choices” made by those who organized and attended the Severn Court gathering.
Switching topics, Dr. Salvaterra spoke to Peterborough Public Health’s communication with health care practitioners on the vaccination of patients 80 years old and older who are living in the community, as opposed to a congregate senior setting or long-term care home. She said an advisory was issued to doctors on Tuesday morning.
“Those who are considered special populations — if they have allergies to medicine or immune system compromised — can be reaching out to their health care providers now and asking to have a consultation about the vaccine and whether it’s right for them,” explained Peterborough Public Health communications manager Brittany Cadence.
“The other thing the can do is find out who can help them with booking a vaccine appointment, if they don’t have an email address or using a computer poses any challenge. There will be a phone system that people can book appointments through. If they need help now is the time identify who can help them.”
“We understand from the Ministry of Health that the online COVax booking system will be ready on March 15th, which we hope to open up to those who are over 80 (years old),” Cadence added.
