Huron Perth Public Health's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Miriam Klassen, gave an update Thursday on the number of COVID-19 cases within the region.
Dr. Klassen said there are double-digit confirmed cases with some results still pending.
"We have 16 cases confirmed in total. There are zero in Perth County at large, seven for Stratford, three for St. Marys and six for Huron County. Altogether, 307 people have been tested, 261 negatives, 30 pending, and then the 16 positives I mentioned," said Klassen.
In a more in-depth look at the numbers, Dr. Klassen said within the group of 16 positive cases, one person has died, one person remains in hospital, and one has recovered. The age range among the positive cases is four people 65 years old or older, 12 are less than 65 years old and no one under the age of 20.
Eleven of the cases are female patients and five are male. There have been two nurses identified as cases, and Dr. Klassen said they have completed a contact tracing measure regarding those nurses.
One of the nurse's cases was travel-related and that nurse did not report to work following their return to the region.
Dr. Klassen said among the 16 confirmed positive cases of the virus, a handful of the cases at two long-term care homes.
"One is Hillside Manor, which we addressed previously. There is one resident there who's condition has actually improved, and at this time no other cases have been identified. Also, we have Greenwood, which has two cases among residents," stated Klassen.
Dr. Klassen said it's extremely important to follow health and government guidelines and maintain social distancing to help protect those most vulnerable in our communities. She said people in long-term care homes are at an even higher risk of infection or worse for a couple of reasons.
"Number one is that the residents are older and frailer and often have underlying health conditions, so their immune systems aren't as strong, and they're more susceptible to developing infection and in some cases severe infection. They're also living in close quarters with more people," Klassen said.
Going forward, Dr. Klassen said Huron Perth Public Health will be doing daily afternoon updates to their website regarding case counts and other relevant information, and she will now be doing two weekly media conferences on Mondays and Thursdays at 2:15 p.m. in an effort to keep the public as informed as possible.