MANITOULIN – The COVID-19 swab testing of residents on Manitoulin Island is working very well.
Ian Anderson, mayor of Billings Township told the Recorder after a COVID-19 leadership co-ordination committee meeting last week, “the update we were given at our meeting is that there have now been more than 1,200 COVID-19 swab tests taken on Manitoulin Island. That’s a really good news story and the fact that we have had a really slow infection rate.”
Dr. Maurianne Reade confirmed the figures Mayor Anderson had provided and echoed his response that the amount of people on Manitoulin who have gone through the COVID-19 swab testing is good news.
“The assessment centres are being fully booked,” said Dr. Reade. “For a really long time there was a shortage of swabs to do the testing, but now there is more capacity and more sites are open—with Dr. Mike Bedard of the Assiginack Family Health Team having reported that they held their first drive-through testing assessment on Tuesday (of last week, and this will continue at least once a week).” Other centres are located at the Manitoulin Health Centre locations in Mindemoya and Little Current, as well as in Wiikwemkoong.
“There was discussion at the meeting of the press release that came out of the group of municipal and First Nation leadership reps that all municipal and First Nation leaders on the Island are urging everyone to wear face masks in commercial establishments and elsewhere where they are being requested to do so by the province and the local health unit,” said Dr. Reade. “It’s good that everyone realizes the importance of wearing face coverings and are strongly encouraging everyone to wear face masks.”
