Shared on behalf of Jennifer Wintermans, EVP, Communications and Corporate Relations, COVID-19 Lead
The health and safety of all staff, professional staff, patients and the community is our utmost priority. In response to the increase in cases of COVID-19 in our community and across the province, as well as the growing threat of the Omicron variant, our Hospital has moved its internal COVID-19 Pandemic Response Level from Yellow (Protect) to Orange (Restrict), effective immediately.
As of today, our Hospital has four patients admitted who have tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, three are in the Intensive Care Unit. Locally, there are 64 active cases, and Ontario is reporting 1,808 new cases. An estimated 80% of the cases reported on December 13th have been identified as the Omicron variant.
The decision to increase our response activities from Level Yellow to Orange is based on multiple factors and we are taking additional measures to ensure the safety of all against the Omicron variant. Moving from response Level Yellow to Level Orange will allow the following measures to be reassessed:
- Review of surge plans
- PPE, specifically providing pandemic scrubs to high-risk areas
- Essential Care Partner restrictions
- COVID-19 Inpatient Unit utilization
- Clinical services planning
- Increased Rapid Antigen Testing
Please note that eye protection is now mandatory in all areas of the Hospital (with the exception of being in an office alone, at a desk in a shared office space when 2 meters of distancing can be maintained or while consuming food or beverage in a designated space).
All eligible health care workers in our Hospital who are eligible to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are also encouraged to do so. The intent of the third dose is to increase protection that may have decreased over time and will provide added protection against new variants of COVID-19.
All response activities are evaluated on an ongoing basis to ensure they are effective and appropriate. The Senior Leadership Council, as well as leaders across the organization continues to meet daily to assess and respond to the evolving COVID-19 environment.
Our appreciation is extended to all leaders, staff and professional staff for your continued dedication to the community we serve.
All Hospital COVID-19 updates and resources are also available on the iNtranet at https://comms.tbrhsc.net/covid-19-information/