Another inpatient unit removed from COVID-19 outbreak at GBGH
January 5, 2021 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) is now able to remove the 1 North inpatient unit from its COVID-19 outbreak – a decision made in consultation with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. The 2 North inpatient unit is now the only remaining area of the hospital still considered to be in outbreak. The hospital had previously removed 2 East, ICU and Obstetrics from the outbreak on December 22.
Over the past weekend and within the upcoming week, more than 50 per cent of GBGH staff and credentialed staff will receive the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Barrie Immunization Clinic. GBGH staff and credentialed staff are travelling to receive the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Barrie due to its temperature sensitivity.
“This week is historic for our hospital as the majority of our staff and credentialed staff will have received their first dose of the vaccine by January 10,” says Gail Hunt, president and CEO, GBGH. “Our goal at GBGH is to provide safe, exceptional care and having this vaccine available to us so quickly brings hope and a much-needed morale boost to our team.”
GBGH staff and credentialed staff will receive their second dose of the vaccine approximately 21 days after the first dose. Even once the vaccine provides full immunity, the hospital will continue following public health guidelines for personal protective equipment (PPE) and physical distancing to ensure the ongoing safety of patients and team members.
As of January 5, there have been the following cases related to the outbreak:
- 32 patient cases
- Six patients admitted in hospital
- 19 patients discharged
- Six outbreak-related deaths
- 32 staff/credentialed staff cases
- One visitor related to the outbreak (high risk contact of a COVID positive patient during their period of communicability)
Statistics related to the outbreak are updated daily and can be found on the GBGH website – https://gbgh.on.ca/covid-19-novel-coronavirus-updates/
Contact:
Jennifer Moore
Communications Officer, GBGH
705-526-1300 ext 5177