COVID-19 outbreak declared at Windsor Regional Met Campus

An outbreak of the novel coronavirus has been declared on a floor of the Metropolitan Campus of Windsor Regional Hospital.

The Windsor-essex County Health Unit issued a statement on Thursday, pointing to the 4N floor of the Met Campus where eight people to date have tested positive for COVID-19.

Those cases are comprised of six hospital staff members and two patients.

The declaration follows an ongoing cluster investigation by the health unit, first announced last week.

Dr. Wajid Ahmed, the region's Medical Officer of Health, said outbreak prevention measures are already in place, implemented by the hospital when the cluster was first discovered.

Ongoing testing of both staff and patients is underway.

Over the past month, outbreaks have been previously declared on a floor of the Ouellette Campus of Windsor Regional Hospital, and a floor of the rehabilitation unit at Hotel-dieu Grace Healthcare.

The 4North floor at the Met Campus is a 32-bed non-surgical medical unit that accounts for about five per cent of WRH'S total bed capacity.

According to Windsor Regional Hospital, there is no evidence that either of the two patients who tested positive contracted COVID-19 while they were at the hospital, and there is also nothing indicating the novel coronavirus spread from staff to patients, patient to patient, or patients to staff.

WRH Chief of staff Dr. Wassim Saad said the two patients initially tested negative while they were at hospital, and were discharged.

Both then developed symptoms consistent with COVID-19, were readmitted, and subsequently tested positive.

“Although we cannot with 100 per cent certainty rule out that they acquired it in hospital, it remains a possibility,” Saad said. “However, the likelihood that they acquired it in the community with such a high rate of transmission is also very likely.”

Saad said the situation on 4N is being monitored closely. He described the hospital's infection prevention and control measures as “aggressive,” instituted on both the Met Campus and the Ouellette Campus, and on all WRH units.

“The hospital remains a safe place to receive treatment and care,” Saad assured.

Windsor Regional Hospital indicated that “we expect to experience these situations as COVID-19 continues to spread in our community.”

Meanwhile, COVID-19 numbers continue to rise across the region. On Thursday morning, the health unit reported 191 new cases — the second-highest single-day increase for Windsor-essex since the start of the pandemic, surpassed only by Monday's increase of 195 new cases.

The ongoing surge brings the region's cumulative case count to 5,203.

Health unit CEO and chief nursing officer Theresa Marentette said the WECHU is now following 952 active COVID-19 cases in the region, and 27 outbreak situations.

The outbreak locations include nine long-term care or retirement homes, 11 workplaces, two schools, two hospitals, and three places in the community.

The region's COVID-19 death toll also increased, with three more fatalities — bringing the region's total number of deaths due to the novel coronavirus to 94.

Marentette said the most recent victims were all residents of the same long-term care facility. She described them as: A man in his 70s, and woman in her 80s, and a man in his 90s.

As of Thursday, 60 people in Windsor-essex are in hospital because of COVID-19, with 12 people undergoing intensive care.