Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health says she doesn’t believe one of the province’s most recent cases is evidence of community spread of COVID-19.

Sudbury public health says a man in his 50s tested positive for COVID-19 after he went to the emergency department at Health Sciences North on Saturday.

It says the investigation is ongoing, but adds that the man attended a convention by Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto on March 2 and 3.

It’s not clear if the man recently travelled outside the country or had close contact with someone confirmed to have the illness.

“Having a confirmed case in our area is not unexpected given the transmission of this virus around the world,” Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Sudbury & District Medical Officer of Health said.

“Although this is concerning, as a community and as a health system, we have been preparing for COVID-19. Our focus is on breaking the chain of transmission to limit the spread of infection and as a precautionary measure, we are asking those who attended PDAC 2020 to monitor for symptoms for 14 days.”

The public health agency says the Sudbury man was sent home after being diagnosed, where he remains in isolation.

Minister of Energy Greg Rickford confirmed the man is an employee with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines in Sudbury.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Christine Elliott says public health officials are investigating the case, but can’t confirm at this point if he contracted the virus through community spread.

But Dr. Barbara Yaffe says it is likely he acquired the virus at that conference, which was attended by more than 20,000 people from many different countries.

Premier Doug Ford, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and MP Seamus O’Regan all attended the prominent mining conference on March 2.

Ford’s office says he is in good health and not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, and the premier has not been contacted through the process of contact tracking for the infected man.

As a precaution, O’Regan said on Tuesday that he was going into self-isolation after “suffering from a head cold” for the last few days.

I've had a persistent head cold for a few days so, as a precaution, I saw a doctor. They recommended a test for COVID-19. I'm not aware of contacting anyone infected, but was told to remain in self-isolation until we get the results. Feel fine. But I'll work from home. — Seamus O'Regan (@SeamusORegan) March 10, 2020

Ford announced that Ontario has set aside a $100-million contingency fund to deal with COVID-19, and Elliott said the money will likely go toward buying more equipment such as testing kits and personal protective gear, as well as hiring more health-care staff, if needed.

That is in addition to a $1-billion package the federal government announced to help the country’s health-care system and economy cope with the novel coronavirus.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic Wednesday.

Ontario will have dedicated assessment centres set up within days and is looking at being able to diagnose people at home, as well as whether restrictions should be in place around large gatherings, Elliott said. It’s also putting plans in place in case any hospitals have to be shut down because of coronavirus cases, she said.

Ford said he looks forward to discussing COVID-19 plans with the federal government and the country’s other premiers at this week’s first ministers’ meeting.

Five of Ontario’s cases have been resolved, meaning the patients have tested negative for the virus in two tests at least 24 hours apart.

Most people diagnosed with COVID-19 experience mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and the vast majority of those who contract the virus recover.