A day after reporting its sixth death related to an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the number of inpatient cases at Georgian Bay General Hospital has grown by three.
The number of patients reported to have contracted COVID-19 at the Midland hospital jumped by three to 30 cases for the outbreak that was declared Dec. 4 in all inpatient units in consultation with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
The number of staff/credentialed staff reported to have contracted COVID-19 remains the same with 27 cases reported.
Meanwhile, 10 patients remain in hospital while 14 have been discharged home. The hospital also has two COVID-19 inpatients not related to the outbreak.
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).
Last week, 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.
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 39 positive cases involving inpatients, seven outpatients (swabbed via the emergency department) and eight COVID-related deaths.
