Eastern Health has confirmed that a “small number” of staff members who work on an acute care unit at the Health Sciences have tested positive for COVID-19. Health Minister John Haggie spoke with reporters yesterday.

He says those staff are self-isolating at home.

Haggie would only say the number of affected staff members is between four and 10. Eastern Health meanwhile, is assuring the public that everything is being done to ensure the safety of staff, physicians and patients.

Eastern Health says although the staff members were not at work on Tuesday, their close contacts have been instructed to self-isolate and contact tracing is ongoing.

Patients have also been informed and are being monitored for symptoms related to the illness. Eastern Health is working with staff from Infection Prevention and Control, Public Health and Occupational Health to complete contract tracing on staff, doctors and patients.

Eastern Health says it has internal processes in place to report respiratory illness, and staff must report all potential communicable diseases to Occupational Health. In the meantime, the health authority says measures are in place to keep patients, residents, physicians and staff safe to reduce the risk of spreading infectious disease.

Those measures include deep cleaning in main areas, screening those entering health-care facilities for COVID-19 through a series of questions, reduction of entry points into facilities, reduction in operating hours, and the cancellation of appointments not deemed urgent or emergent.