That household was connected to a gathering where two people tested positive after attending. That led to a close contact who tested positive and then to another household with a positive test.

The church outbreak was linked to a group-living outbreak where a total of five people in two residences tested positive. One household contact of the group-living outbreak tested positive as well.

The church outbreak also was connected to a Chatham blood donor clinic where two people tested positive after attending. The clinic cases were traced to yet another case in a household contact.

These are just the positives, Colby said. The impact on peoples lives are even greater.

The people in isolation included 180 from blood donor clinics in Chatham and Blenheim, 170 from three schools, 50 from church, 10 from group living settings and 25 employees from workplaces.

This affected over 500 people either isolating or positive, Colby said. So, it matters. It has to start somewhere. We were lucky. With a lot of effort, we were able to keep our numbers down to only 40 positives with this outbreak, but look at all this trouble for people.

The church and group-living outbreaks were declared Oct. 21 and 28, respectively. Both were declared over Nov. 18.

This is not a blame game, Colby said. Everybody thats referred to here is a victim, not a cause. But we all have a role to play. It takes a community to stop the spread of COVID-19 and the concerted efforts of a dedicated group of people at the health unit, which Im very proud to work with.

Read more here:
Anatomy of a COVID-19 outbreak: One family visit, 40 cases, 500+ isolating in Chatham-Kent - London Free Press (Blogs)