Campbellford Memorial Hospital has admitted its first COVID-19 patient and an outbreak has been declared at an adjoining building, hospital officials say.
According to the hospital, on Monday emergency department staff admitted and treated a suspected COVID-19 patient from the Municipality of Trent Hills. The individual was a resident of the adjoining multi-care lodge — a separate building from the hospital, but connected through a bridge walkway.
Following screening and testing, the patient was transferred to a private room on the inpatient unit.
Late Tuesday night, test results confirmed the patient was positive for the coronavirus, the hospital noted.
The hospital says it is working with the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit and its medical officer of health to initiate case and contact management with the patient.
“We have planned, prepared and heightened infection control efforts within the hospital to ensure the safety of our hospital community and limit the potential spread of infection through the COVID-19 pandemic,” said hospital CEO Varouj Eskedjian.
“We are grateful to the emergency department and inpatient medical/surgical unit care teams who supported this patient with compassion and professionalism within the ED and through the transfer onto the in-patient unit.
“The diagnosis, admission and management of this patient as per pandemic preparedness protocols indicates the systems and process we have established and continue to have in place work very well to protect our staff and patients.”
Eskedjian noted the recent admission means visitor restrictions resume at both the hospital and its multicare lodge.
“All of the processes and heightened infection control practices we have put in place within the hospital and the lodge are designed to ensure the safety of our staff and patients,” Eskedjian said. “While our safety measures ensured no one visiting or working at the hospital during the admission process was at risk of becoming ill, we are putting visitor restrictions in place in order to continue minimizing the risk of transmission.”
In late May, the hospital treated its first COVID-19 patient.
The health unit’s coronavirus case data on Wednesday did not reflect the hospitalized case as data is often 25 hours behind current updates. On Wednesday, the health unit reported 223 cases overall, of which 204 were resolved. All 31 cases in Northumberland County — which would include Campbellford — were reported as resolved.