As COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the Outaouais, cases are also rising within the Pontiac service area, with the MRC Pontiac and Municipality of Pontiac (MoP) now having a combined 13 cases.

The case count was at seven last Monday after being at . . .

six the week prior.

It is unknown whether the recorded increase of six over the last week are active cases, as CISSSO only tracks the total number of active cases in the entire Outaouais.

The Municipalities of Fort Coulonge and Mansfield et Pontefract are both listed as having five or less cases, as they were last week. CISSSO will not provide the specific number until cases have risen above five.

The MoP is listed as having seven total cases after being at five or less last week. While that change might suggest that there are at least two active cases in the MoP, CISSSO has not confirmed this.

MoP Mayor Joanne Labadie told THE EQUITY on Sept. 30 that her understanding of CISSSO’s protocol is that they are protecting patient confidentiality, but she added that she has asked that MRC des Collines Warden Caryl Green request more clear and specific data from CISSSO.

“It’s impossible to tell with the way they register data right now,” Labadie said. “It’s really the way that CISSSO releases the information that I find problematic.

“We need better information, especially as [these] numbers go up past five.”

Patricia Rhéaume, CISSSO media relations agent, said in an email to THE EQUITY that the public health authority does not provide active case data by municipality. She said that the testing protocol emphasizes contacting those who test positive so that they can notify those whom they have been in contact with.

Rhéaume said that the region’s testing capabilities should receive a boost soon, as they are waiting on Health Canada to approve a new testing device.

“We are waiting for a device that will allow us to do 1,100 more tests per day,” she said. “We will be better able to meet the demand and the waiting time should decrease.”

Currently, CISSSO’s daily testing average is 524 while the average wait time to hear test results is seven days.

Quebec Premier François Legault officially announced on Oct. 5 that citizens of the province can now download the national COVID-19 contact tracing application. The app uses a Bluetooth signal to communicate with other phones.

Oct. 5 also featured an announcement from Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge about new rules for people in red zones. Beginning on Oct. 8, high school students in red zones will have to wear masks in the classroom, all school-related sports will be prohibited and public gyms will be closed.

The Outaouais remains an orange zone with regard to provincial guidelines.

As of Monday afternoon, the Outaouais had 208 active cases (1,514 total, 1,272 recovered) and 12 hospitalizations, with one person in intensive care. The number of active cases has risen by 31 from last week, and hospitalizations have increased by seven.

As of Monday, there were active outbreaks in three CISSSO-run facilities: Résidence L’Initial, Gatineau Hospital and Résidence Cité Jardin.

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