Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre's COVID-19 Incident Manager, Dr. Stewart Kennedy, addresses media at a conference, March 20, 2020. (Photo Supplied)
The The hospital official says they are waiting to hear back on tests for a handful of other Thunder Bay residents. Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre says not to panic about the community’s first confirmed COVID-19 case.
COVID-19 Incident Manager Dr. Stewart Kennedy says their team is prepared to handle this. He notes they were expecting Thunder Bay to see some cases of the virus, and have been putting safety first when handling possible positive cases.
“A number of [possible] cases have been admitted to the hospital over the past three or four days. We have not got their swabs back yet, but certainly all precautions are taking place at Thunder Bay Regional Hospital. Again, that prepared us when we had the first case, too,” he explains.
Dr. Kennedy emphasizes the patient, a man who tested positive after returning from a week in Florida, is not evidence that the virus is circulating in the community.
However, he says the risk of contracting the virus while travelling is why the hospital is also asking anyone who has travelled outside of Northwestern Ontario to self-isolate for two weeks.
The hospital also has new visitor restrictions. One care partner will be allowed to visit a patient who is giving birth, dying, or undergoing surgery, or an ill child or youth.
Dr. Kennedy adds the man did the right thing by self-isolating when he and his spouse got back to Canada, and contacting the Thunder Bay District Health Unit when they started experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
Medical Lead for Infectious Disease Dr. Greg Gamble says local health officials are cooperating to handle the pandemic.
“People work together, people talk to each other. Our smallness is actually our strength. Public Health knows the people in the hospital. We know the people at St. Joe’s, we know the physicians that are out in the community,” he explains.
