Thunder Bay hospital restricting, screening visitors over COVID-19 concerns

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has begun restricting visitors due to concerns over a possible COVID-19 outbreak in the city.

The visitor restrictions will remain in place until further notice, said Dr. Stewart Kennedy, who's heading up an incident management team the hospital has put in place due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The visitor restriction also applies to the hospital's Transitional Care Unit at Hogarth Riverview Manor.

Only one care partner, who has been designated by a patient, will be allowed in the hospital.

In addition, Kennedy said the hospital will begin screening all visitors as of 8 p.m. Friday, March 13. The process involves asking questions about symptoms and travel, as well as taking a visitor's temperature. Anyone who screens positively will be advised to self-monitor, or be taken to the emergency department for further evaluation.

"We are following the Ministry of Health guidelines during this screening process," Kennedy said Friday.

Assessment centre

Further, the hospital is preparing a COVID-19 assessment centre, which will be located on-site, outside of the emergency department.

"We don't want people coming to our emergency department if they don't have to be there," Kennedy said.

The assessment centre will be located in a trailer, staffed by nurses, and the hospital aims to have it functional by Monday or Tuesday next week.

"We do not want asymptomatic people coming to this assessment centre," Kennedy said. "We just want symptomatic people to come to the assessment centre for appropriate screening and assessment."

Other measures the hospital is taking include closing some entrances.

Four entrances will be open during the day:

• The west main entrance will be open to all
• The east cafeteria entrance will be open only to staff, learners, and contractors
• The emergency department can be accessed by emergency department staff and patients, as well as care partners
• And the labour and delivery entrance will only be open to staff, labour and delivery patients, and care partners

From 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., the emergency department entrance will be open to all, and the labour and delivery entrance will be open to staff, labour and delivery patients, and care partners.

All other entrances will be closed overnight.

"Additional measures as this pandemic process evolves will change on a daily basis," Kennedy said. "We are very prepared, as well as we can be."

There have not yet been any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Thunder Bay as of Friday, March 13.

Kennedy said COVID-19 tests have been done on 12 people in the city.  Of those people, 11 tests came back negative; the hospital is still awaiting results for one test.