Amid push for more testing, Sudbury top doctor says 'individual actions' still most important

As Ontario aims to ramp up testing for COVID-19, Sudbury's medical officer of health says its important not to lose focus on other public health measures.

Dr. Penny Sutcliffe says more widespread testing can provide useful data and information, but she says the biggest "piece of arsenal, is not very exciting. I think it really is our own personal individual actions and choices," such as physical distancing and frequent hand washing. 

"All of these things are not very exciting, but they are the most effective measures that we have right now," Sutcliffe said.

Surveillance testing

With daily testing numbers falling well below the provincial benchmark of 16,000 in recent days, Premier Doug Ford has vowed to ramp up testing.

Over the weekend, the province began targeted testing of both symptomatic and asymptomatic front-line healthcare workers. On Sunday, Ford said anyone who is worried they may have been exposed to COVID-19 can get tested, whether they have symptoms or not. He also said the province will be releasing a more detailed testing strategy.

When it comes to increasing testing, Sudbury immunologist Alain Simard says it's important to test healthcare workers, but he suggests it would be a good idea to do targeted testing of people outside the healthcare field, particularly those who have close contact with people on a daily basis. 

"First example that comes to mind would be at the grocery stores," said Simard, who teaches at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. 

"You have quite a few people that are walking in on a regular basis, and the people that are working at the grocery stores are, therefore have a higher risk of being exposed."

However Sutcliffe says when it comes to groups such as grocery store workers, her focus instead is on making sure they have access to appropriate personal protective equipment and other protections in their workplace. 

"I would not put those groups at the top of the list as I would people who would be more vulnerable to severe health consequences if they were infected," Sutcliffe said. 

On Friday, the health unit announced it will be testing all residents and employees at retirements homes throughout its service area. The surveillance testing at long-term care homes found 14 cases of COVID-19. Sutcliffe said she also hopes to focus on other congregate settings such as group homes, and higher-risk groups including people who are experiencing homelessness. 

'False sense of security'

Simard said increased testing — both targeting specific groups, and at a wider population level — could give officials a better idea of the actual prevalence of the coronavirus within communities, and could influence decision-making going forward. With the number of new confirmed cases in northeastern Ontario continuing to decline, and the economy beginning to reopen, Simard worries people could have "a false sense of security." 

That's something Sutcliffe is also worried about. She hopes the focus on testing won't take away from the focus on other measures. 

"Very few people will be testing positive if we are really able to keep up… our distance from each other and to really follow all of the public health measures that we're being asked to do," Sutcliffe said.