4 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Thunder Bay district on Wednesday, 5 new cases in northwest

Four new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the Thunder Bay district on Wednesday.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) said one case is due to household contact, one is the result of other close contact, one is from travel outside of the region, and one has no known exposure.

Three of Wednesday's cases are in Thunder Bay and surrounding areas, while one is in an Indigenous community.

Nineteen cases were also listed as being resolved; as of Wednesday morning, there are 72 confirmed, active cases in the district, the TBDHU said.

In the region, the Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) announced five new cases in its service area on Wednesday.

Two cases are in the Emo area, two in the Sioux Lookout area, and one is in the Dryden area.

As of Wednesday, there were 52 confirmed, active COVID-19 cases in the NWHU's service area.

The NWHU also said nearly 16,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered to date in its region.

Sioux Lookout cases continue to rise

Of the 52 active cases reported by the NWHU, 34 are in the Sioux Lookout Health Hub. Nineteen communities fall under that health hub, which includes the Municipality of Sioux Lookout.

The head of the NWHU said Tuesday an increased risk has been identified in the area, including in the municipality itself.

"We have seen transmission of COVID-19 among social groups within the municipality. So it is affecting a number of different households," said Dr. Kit Young Hoon, medical officer of health with theNWHU.

Sioux Lookout Mayor Douglas Lawrance said only 11 of the reported cases in the health hub are directly linked to the municipality.

He said at this time it's important for residents to stay calm, and to continue to follow public health advice.

"I think the health unit advised us that we are at risk but that's always been their advice. That's always been our message to the public is to assume there's COVIDanywhere and everywhere and follow all the public health messaging," said Lawrance in an interview with CBC News.

Lawrance added at this time the Municipality is working with over a dozen agencies as part of a newly formed COVID Coordination Committee, to ensure necessary supports are available to residents.

He said that support includes coordination with community groups, creating isolation facilities, along with establishing COVID-19 vaccination clinics for the general public.