Coronavirus: 3 staff members at Peterborough Regional Health Centre test positive for COVID-19

Three healthcare workers at Peterborough Regional Health Centre have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the hospital reported Thursday afternoon.

Just two days after stating the hospital was preparing for a “surge” of coronavirus patients, Dr. Lynn Mikula, the hospital’s vice-president, chief medical executive and chief of staff, said three staff members in the same hospital unit have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Mikula would not specify their roles or their unit, only to say they are involved in a “patient care-role.” All three were wearing appropriate personal protective equipment while involved in patient-care interactions. She said the three individuals are currently at home in self-isolation with “mild symptoms” of COVID-19.

“One of the staff members developed mild symptoms while at work and went home,” she said. “The other two developed symptoms while at home and did not come into work.”

The unit has been placed on “outbreak precaution” — the unit is closed to new admissions and enhanced surveillance and screening are underway. Anyone in close contact with the three individuals — including patients — has been identified and is being monitored for symptoms, said Mikula.

She said the cases appear to be “staff-to-staff” COVID-19 transmission within the unit. Mikula said there’s no evidence of “patient-to-staff or staff-to-patient” transmission of COVID-19.

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The initial case, which was confirmed late Sunday night, appears to be from community transmission during the course of “normal, daily interaction,” said Mikula. The other two cases were confirmed about 48 hours later.

“We don’t know whether that happened outside the hospital or within the building. We don’t know if it happened in their home or at a shop — it’s impossible to say,” she said.

“To the best of our knowledge, honestly it could have happened to anyone in any setting.”

Enhanced screening is underway in the unit, she said, and 27 staff members working in the unit have been tested.

“It’s being done out of an abundance of caution — to date none of them have exhibited symptoms,” she said.

She said the hospital’s extensive and enhanced screening methods and “low threshold” to test health-care workers were able to quickly identify the cases.

“PRHC remains a safe place to come for care,” she said. “I want to express my thanks for the hard work of all our frontline healthcare workers through this pandemic.”

Three confirmed cases of COVID-19 remain in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

On Wednesday afternoon, Peterborough Public Health reported there were 51 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its jurisdiction, which includes Peterborough, Peterborough County, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation. Of the 51 cases, 14 had been declared resolved. No deaths have been reported.

FLATTENING THE CURVE? 

Global News asked Dr. Mikula for her thoughts on Peterborough Public Health’s presentation on Wednesday in which Medical Officer of Health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra stated residents were doing a “very good job” of flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases. That came a day after Mikula said the regional hospital was preparing for a “surge” of patients.

“We are not identifying a large number of new positive cases,” said Mikula. “We do know we are not testing a lot of people.”

Mikula noted Premier Doug Ford’s request for more testing to be conducted across Ontario.

“I think the truth is we still don’t know,” she said. “We still don’t know whether there is transmission out there that we are not picking up because those people are not yet coming for testing. So while the official number certainly looks reassuring, at the hospital we are still holding ourselves in readiness and waiting to see what happens.”

More to come.

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