COVID-19 Outbreak Declared on the Surgery Unit at Stratford General Hospital
January 15, 2021
Important!
This outbreak has affected our Inpatient Surgery Unit, not our Operating Rooms or our Surgical Ambulatory Care Clinic. Patients who are admitted to the hospital after their surgery are typically placed on the Inpatient Surgery Unit. Any of these patients who are high risk contacts will receive a call from Huron Perth Public Health. Patients who had outpatient, sometimes referred to as day surgery, or minor surgical procedures as part of our Surgical Ambulatory Care Clinic are not affected by this outbreak.
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The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) has declared an outbreak of COVID-19 on the Surgery Unit at its Stratford General Hospital site today after 3 cases of the virus were identified in staff members. No patients have acquired the virus while in hospital.
Outbreak status refers to two COVID-19 cases within a 14-day period, where both cases could reasonably have been acquired in the hospital.
As this outbreak is on the surgical unit, patients currently scheduled for surgery will be contacted directly should any adjustments need to be made to existing schedules.
“All outbreak control measures are in place and there has been no transmission to other patient care areas of the hospital,” says Andrew Williams, President & CEO. “We are taking an abundance of caution as we review this situation, are working closely with Huron Perth Public Health and will ensure staff, patients, family members/caregivers and individuals currently scheduled for surgery are kept apprised of all necessary information.”
Affected staff are currently self-isolating at home and will not return to work until their self-isolation period is complete and they are asymptomatic.
Family and Caregiver Presence on the Unit has been restricted. The only exception is for palliative patients. Care teams will regularly update families/caregivers and make them aware of opportunities for virtual connections.
The hospital remains open for all scheduled clinics, procedures and emergency visits and HPHA will continue to update the community, as more or changing information occurs.
It should be noted that Huron Perth Public Health website reporting will reflect these case numbers in their next data reporting cycles.