Stratford General Hospital’s medicine unit declared a COVID-19 outbreak as of October 16 and has closed the unit until further notice.
Lynanne Mason, Stratford General’s vice president of partnerships, transformation and chief nursing executive, said that outbreak measures have been implemented unit wide and they are currently dealing with six patients that have been impacted.
“Outbreak impacts are often difficult to quantify, as the numbers change quite often and some are not always traced to the same source of infection,” she said. “The cause is still being investigated, but it’s not unusual that we are unable to confirm a specific source. We have encountered challenges with sick family members visiting loved ones in the hospital. It is important to delay visits until you are feeling well, and to wear a mask where required. Should you be unwell but still want to visit a loved one, we do support virtual visits through iPads so just let your team know you would like to arrange this while you recover at home.”
Mason said that in accordance with provincial outbreak management guidance, the outbreak will be declared over after seven days without any evidence of transmission on the unit – something she said they are not currently able to confirm.
Go to www.hpha.ca to keep updated on the status of the outbreak.
