Province launches pandemic response system with colour-coded COVID risk scale

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This article was published 18/08/2020 (1493 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba has launched a new pandemic response program as the province currently smoulders at the “caution” level of COVID-19 risk.

Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced the four-tiered RestartMB Pandemic Response System Wednesday, which will also guide future interventions by public health officials responding to community transmission and outbreaks across the province.

With case numbers in Manitoba rising and test-positivity rates ticking upwards, Roussin said the pandemic response level of caution — which indicates community transmission is at low to moderate levels, close contact transmission is occurring and there are a number of isolated outbreaks — is appropriate provincewide.

“We must learn to live with this virus, and be prepared to both respond and adapt to changes in the transmission risks COVID-19 presents,” Roussin said. “The Pandemic Response System is a key preparedness tool setting out what Manitobans must do, at each response level, to help reduce risks and minimize the spread of this virus.”

The yellow caution level is the second lowest response designation on the colour-coded scale, above the green, “limited risk” level, which would only be declared if a vaccine or effective treatment for COVID-19 is available to Manitobans and transmission of the virus is at very low to undetectable levels.

Not unlike the wildfire alert system or warning flags on public beaches, as the threat of COVID-19 increases so does the severity of response level.

Public health may choose to declare an elevated orange “restricted” response level — determined when community transmission is occurring throughout Manitoba but contact tracing and outbreak management is having the desired effect.

The highest response level, indicated by a red octagon, is critical and declared when COVID-19 is spreading extensively and uncontained through the community and outbreaks cannot be controlled by public health.

Public health officials have also tailored each tier to be responsive to the COVID-19 context at the regional, community and sector-specific level, and will target restrictions following RestartMB Pandemic Response System guidelines.

For example, if a community is reporting high test positivity rates, untraceable cases and limits on the health-care system, public health may put the community under a critical response level and restrict travel, reduce gathering sizes, pause visits to personal-care homes or limit operations on non-essential businesses in that specific area.

Restrictions can also be applied or rolled back on schools, individual businesses or sectors, child-care centres, gyms, casinos and more, if COVID-19 risk is determined to be elevated.

Indicators measured by the province to determine response levels include health system capacity, public health capacity, risk of outbreaks in vulnerable settings and risk of importation of cases. Current response levels will be communicated to the public on the provincial government’s online COVID-19 dashboard available at www.gov.mb.ca/covid19.

— Staff

Pandemic response system