Last updated October 25, 2024.
What you should do to reduce your risk and protect others:
Some people are more likely to get sick or more severely sick.
Find out if you are one of them.
Infectious respiratory illnesses are caused by germs such as viruses or bacteria that can easily be spread to others. Examples are the flu, COVID-19, and the common cold, and further details can be found in the common respiratory viruses section below. Symptoms can include cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, muscle aches, fatigue, vomiting/diarrhea, or abdominal pain.
Many types of respiratory viruses circulate in our community each fall and winter. These viruses can spread through the air when people infected with a virus cough, sneeze, or talk closely with another person. Viruses can also spread by touching an infected object and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.
Wash your hands and high touch objects.
Wear a mask.
Maintain a distance of 2 metres.
Spend time outdoors or in well-ventilated indoor spaces.
Stay home if you're sick.
Get vaccinated.
Since the beginning of September 2024, we have had 0 cases of influenza in Timiskaming.2,3 This number does not represent the number of cases in the entire community because only some people get tested. There also may be delays in reporting and verifying cases. COVID-19 cases are no longer reported to public health, so they cannot be counted.
The number of positive tests can provide insight into what viruses are circulating in our community. The number of positive tests differs from the number of people who tested positive because not everyone gets tested, and some get tested more than once. Definitions of various types of viruses can be found in the section on common respiratory viruses below.
In September, a high level of COVID-19 and a lower level of entero/rhinovirus were detected in Timiskaming.3
Hospitalization can provide insight into the severity of the respiratory viruses circulating in the community as well as the impact of respiratory viruses on the local health care system.
The descriptions below are just a general overview. How sick someone gets can be different for each person. Some might only have mild symptoms, while others could get more severe symptoms, and sadly, in some cases, it can even lead to death.
This data should be interpreted with caution for the most recent periods due to potential reporting and data cleaning delays. Previously reported data may change as a result.
An intensive care unit (ICU) is a hospital department that provides intensive care to critically ill patients. Patients with specialized or more critical needs are transferred to a non-local, larger hospital with specialized level 3 ICUs. Patients transferred out of Timiskaming for care are not included in this total.