There are now 14 confirmed cases associated with the COVID outbreak in the Medicine Unit at the Chatham hospital.
CEO Lori Marshall says 30 staff have been sent home to isolate, including 10 staff who’ve tested positive.
She says they’ve increased sanitizing and housekeeping efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, and are co-horting staff to limit the number of interactions.
“It is somewhat easier for nursing staff, for example, to do that. It becomes more difficult with somebody like a physiotherapist who may go from unit to unit in order to provide care,” Marshall explains. “We’re looking at how to we essentially separate out staff who may go to outbreak units and those who do not go to outbreak units, so working with people’s schedules there.”
According to public health, the outbreak in the COVID unit first announced last Thursday has held steady at two positive cases.
There are currently 10 COVID positive patients in the CKHA, 6 of those are from outside of Chatham-Kent. Two COVID patients are being treated in the ICU, and one is on a ventilator.
Meantime the outbreak at Fairfield Park continues to spread, now affecting 55 staff and residents.
On a positive note, outbreaks at Walmart and New Vision Optical in Wallaceburg have now been declared over, leaving just two workplace outbreaks in the municipality.
As well, Public Health has cleared one of the outbreaks in a congregate living setting.
There are still just two confirmed cases associated with the outbreak at LKCS in Dresden.