New PCR testing priorities and Isolation Requirements for Community Members

01/07/2022

The Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre and Public Safety Commission would like to update Kahnawa’kehró:non regarding the new criteria for COVID-19 PCR testing. These changes will completely transfer responsibility for COVID-19 case management to each of you as individual community members. 

These new priorities are in effect immediately both in Kahnawà:ke and throughout Quebec. 

The testing sites are NO LONGER AVAILABLE to the general population. This means that if you have COVID-related symptoms and/or you are a contact of a positive case and/or you have received a positive rapid test result, you can no longer access a PCR testing site. Testing sites will only be available to essential service high-risk locations or by special request from Public Health. You can also access the testing site if you are being admitted for surgery and have been requested to provide a negative test result prior to admission. 

If you have COVID-related symptoms, you must assume that you have COVID-19 and isolate according to the following guidelines: 

CASE MANAGEMENT:
 
If you have COVID related symptoms and/or are positive from a rapid test and you are vaccinated (2 doses or more) 

• isolate for 5 days 
• on day 5, if you no longer have symptoms or your symptoms are lessening, and you have not had a fever for 24 hours, you are released from isolation but must take precautions for the 5 following days by: 
• continuously wearing a medical-grade mask in all areas 
• maintaining a 2-meter distance or more from others at all times 
• avoiding all vulnerable people 
• if you are returning to work, you must work away from all others and not share any common spaces 

If you have COVID-related symptoms and/or are positive from a rapid test and not vaccinated or vaccinated with 1 dose: 

• isolation time remains at 10 days 

The difference in isolation days is related to the quick decrease in contagiousness of vaccinated vs unvaccinated individuals who have the Omicron variant. 

CONTACT MANAGEMENT: 

If you are a contact of a positive case (determined by having symptoms related to COVID-19 or from a positive rapid test): 

• a high-risk contact who is adequately vaccinated must isolate for 5 days. If no symptoms - released from isolation but must self-monitor for symptoms from day 5-10.  If you develop COVID-related symptoms at any point, you must assume that you have COVID and begin the isolation period as described above in the CASE MANAGEMENT section. 
• A high-risk contact who is not vaccinated must isolate for 10 days 
• A moderate risk contact who is adequately vaccinated must self-monitor for symptoms for 10 days, must wear a mask continuously, maintain a 2-meter distance and remain away from vulnerable people 
• A moderate risk contact who is not vaccinated must isolate for 10 days 
• A low-risk contact (vaccinated or not) must self-monitor for symptoms and follow regular public health measures 

DEFINITIONS: 

High-Risk Contact: A household contact or a sexual partner 

Moderate Risk Contact:  A contact for more than 15 minutes, less than 2 meters, where one of the two people was not wearing a mask or both people were not wearing a mask. 

Low-Risk Contact: A contact for more than 15 minutes, less than 2 meters, both with medical-grade masks 

Adequately Vaccinated: A person who has received two or more doses of a recognized COVID-19 vaccine 

* Different criteria exist for essential service workers