With Canada in the midst of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre maintain they’re prepared should they be called upon.
The facility is into the Green (Prevent) level of its’ Internal Pandemic Response, which allowed the facility to close the dedicated COVID-19 Care Unit.
“We’re actually able to manage the care of those admitted with COVID-19 in the regular isolation rooms throughout the hospital,” explains President and CEO Rhonda Crocker-Ellacott. “Should we have a larger number of patients admitted then we would consider re-opening the ward, but we’re not there yet.”
As of Friday there were four active cases in the Thunder Bay District Health Unit while Ontario recorded 781 new cases to go along with 17 deaths heading into the weekend.
Crocker-Ellacott adds the team can be ready to ramp up services in a matter of hours.
“The team has done an exceptional job of creating the colour-coded plans to make sure that we have a phased implementation should we be required to shift gears quickly,” notes Crocker-Ellacott. “We now have the experience having gone through the third wave. The team has absolutely stepped up and is ready so we’re very well prepared to address any need that comes our way.”
When it comes to administering third doses, Crocker-Ellacott says discussions continue with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit to see if any assistance is needed to administer the shots.
