Georgian Bay General Hospital is reporting its fourth death related to an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
In today’s post, the Midland hospital listed the death (age and gender were not disclosed) along with two new cases involving staff/credentialed staff bringing the total to 26.
The number of patients reported to have contacted COVID-19 remains at 23 for the outbreak that was declared Dec. 4 in all inpatient units in consultation with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
Meanwhile, 11 patients remain in hospital while eight have been discharged home.
There has also been one visitor case related to the outbreak (a high-risk contact of a COVID positive patient during their period of communicability).
On Tuesday, the hospital removed three of five inpatient units from the organization’s COVID-19 outbreak. Obstetrics, 2 East and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are no longer considered to be part of the outbreak as there has been no transmission in these areas.
This decision was also made in consultation with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
The outbreak was initially declared on the 2 North inpatient unit and was then expanded to all inpatient units as a precaution on Dec. 7.
“Soon after the outbreak was declared on the 2 North inpatient unit, we added all inpatient units as a precaution to monitor possible transmission beyond the initial cluster of cases,” said Dr. Dan Lee, chief of Emergency Medicine and COVID-19 medical lead.
“Now that we have confirmed no transmission in these areas, we have consulted with public health and it has been deemed safe to remove the ICU, 2 East and Obstetrics from the outbreak.”
Contact tracing for current patients and staff is being completed through the hospital’s Occupational Health and Safety and Infection Prevention and Control departments. Contact information for anyone who has been an inpatient (and has now been discharged) or outpatient at the hospital, or who may be considered a high-risk contact of one of these cases, has been provided to public health for community follow-up.
So far this year, the hospital has recorded 32 positive cases involving inpatients, seven outpatients (swabbed via the emergency department) and six COVID-related deaths.
