A fourth staff member at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but the case is believed to be community transmission, the hospital announced on Monday morning.
In a teleconference, Dr. Lynn Mikula, PRHC chief medical executive and chief of staff, said a fourth staff member tested positive on the weekend for the virus.
Mikula only announced the new case after Global News Peterborough inquired about weekend testing. She did not reveal in which unit the employee works but said the employee is at home in self-isolation and noted that staff and patients in the unit are being tested.
The new positive case is not currently considered an outbreak, Mikula said, since there is no evidence at this time of patient-to-staff or staff-to-patient exposure to the virus.
“We believe transmission was picked up in the community,” she said. “The exposure investigation is ongoing.”
Last week, the hospital announced three staff members on another unit had tested positive for the coronavirus. The initial case is believed to be a case of community transmission. There have been no new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, in the unit, she said.
“All other tests on the unit have come back negative,” said Mikula.
Two patients with COVID-19 remain in the hospital’s intensive care unit, Mikula said.
PRHC has now tested more than 1,700 people for the coronavirus, and testing has increased “four- to five-fold” since the hospital expanded its testing at the assessment centre for people with any mild respiratory symptoms.
The centre can be reached at 705-876-5086. Mikula said there’s no need to complete the provincial online assessment test before calling.
“We are testing more than 100 people a day,” she said.
The hospital is also providing 400 to 500 face masks each day to patients and visitors entering and leaving the hospital. Donations of handmade masks are still being accepted.
“We are asking people not to throw them out and take them home and wash them,” she said. “But the need is ongoing. There’s no endpoint we can see at this time.”
Mikula also noted the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) is stable – for now – but it’s dependent on global supplies.
“It’s a situation that continues to be quite fragile,” she said.
The hospital is also partnering with Peterborough Paramedics and Peterborough Public Health to provide a mobile assessment response team which will visit long-term care facilities and retirement homes. The team would provide on-site assessments and tests for people showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Comments