St. Mike’s declares a COVID-19 outbreak in emergency department
Posted October 20, 2020 10:27 pm.
Last Updated October 21, 2020 8:15 am.
St. Michael’s Hospital said it’s dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak in the emergency department.
As of Tuesday, there are five active cases among hospital staff. No patient cases have been identified.
A statement released by Unity Health said it has been determined the risk of patient exposure is low.
The hospital said it plans on reaching out to any patients who may have had direct contact with any of the affected staff.
They are encouraging any patients who visited the emergency department in the past two weeks to self-monitor for symptoms.
The statement said the department will stay open and remains a safe place for patients.
“Our Emergency Department remains open and is safe for patients who need emergency care, and the risk of infection in patients is low. We have taken many measures to ensure this, including additional testing of staff, enhanced cleaning and infection control procedures and additional safety precautions for our staff and patients.”
St. Joseph’s Health Centre, also part of the Unity Health network, has had
outbreaks in four units since the start of October. The most recent outbreak was declared on October, 16.
An official outbreak means a unit has had two or more COVID-19 cases within a 14-day period.
We are experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak among staff in the St. Michael’s Emergency Dept. If you visited the ED in the past two weeks, please self-monitor for symptoms. Your risk of exposure is low. Our ED remains open and is safe for patients. https://t.co/LmhmPdvdbo
— Unity Health Toronto (@UnityHealthTO) October 20, 2020
