All patients and staff at St. Clare’s hospital are undergoing COVID testing after more positive cases were identified on Unit 6A.
The first positive case was reported February 8th and since then testing and investigation has revealed what Eastern Health is calling “an additional small number of cases” on the unit.
Officials say a rapid response team has been deployed, and all positive patients have been transferred to the COVID unit at the Health Sciences Centre.
All other patients on the unit are under strict isolation protocols and have been transferred to single rooms. The unit is now closed to all new admissions at this time and staff movement is limited.
Testing includes all patients currently at St. Clare’s and patients who were discharged from the affected unit since February 19th. Patients will be contacted if testing is required. Employees who worked at the hospital from February 19th onward will also be tested through a testing site at the Reid Centre in Mount Pearl.
(Photo: YYC Twitter)
CEO David Diamond says while some staff will be travelling to the testing site on their own, a shuttle-type situation might be arranged for some patients.
In the meantime, Diamond says long waiting lines for testing – like those seen earlier this month at Mount Pearl Senior High – have been sorted out.
He says they’ve put more capacity in place at the Waterford Hospital to address increased demand for testing.
The Reid Centre is being used separately to help test those associated with St. Clare’s.
