Ontario Police College COVID-19 cumulative case count at 94

Southwestern Public Health spokesperson Megan Cornwell confirmed 94 cumulative cases at the Ontario Police College Friday morning, March 5.

Out of the 94, 18 have been resolved and are no longer infectious. Some recruits are self-isolating at the college, while others are quarantined at home.

This outbreak was first identified on Monday, Feb. 22. All staff and recruits – about 700 – were tested on Thursday, Feb. 25, and the case count has increased since.

“Following the initial round of testing, individuals who may have tested negatively originally were re-tested if they developed symptoms. That is why the number of cases begins to grow,” explained Ms. Cornwell.

Sometimes people are tested “too early” before they become infectious, so they were part of the negative originally but are now part of the positive case count. The health unit said there was not a specific event that contributed to this outbreak.

“We do not have any evidence that this outbreak was caused by a variant of concern,” said Ms. Cornwell.