COVID-19 GGH Update May 25
How to give feedback
- Speak to your manager or director
- Ask your leader to bring forward an idea or concern to the COVID-19 Incident Management Team
- covidquestions@gghorg.ca
- What’s on your mind? (only works if you’re within the hospital)
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Action/must read (1)
What’s New? (1)
Resources and Supplies (0)
Staff Support (1)
Other (0)
Starting with the positive…
Reporting on COVID-19 activity in staff and patients
| Total number of staff tested to date | 283 |
| Total number of staff with a negative test result to date | 247 |
| Current number of staff with a positive test | 2 |
| Number of staff results pending | 6 |
| Number of staff who tested positive and are now recovered | 28 |
| Total number of staff with a positive test result to date | 30 |
| Number of current in-patients who have tested positive | 6 |
Action/Must read
COVID-19 testing option expanded to include asymptomatic healthcare workers
Over the weekend, the Ministry of Health announced the strategy for COVID-19 testing would be expanded. Testing is now available to all people with at least one symptom. In addition, effective immediately “asymptomatic, risk-based testing” would be available for:
- People who are concerned they have been exposed to COVID-19. This includes people who are contacts of or may have been exposed to a confirmed or suspected case.
- People who are at risk of exposure to COVID-19 through their employment, including essential workers (e.g. health care workers, grocery store employees, food processing plants).
If you are asymptomatic and want to get tested at an Assessment Centre please refer to your local Public Health guidelines for that process. If tested, you may continue to work while waiting your test results. Continue to be vigilant in following the safety measures put in place, including practicing excellent hand hygiene, practice physical distancing at all times, cleaning high touch surfaces frequently, and wearing a mask in all clinical areas and when you can not maintain a safe physical distance (in lounge rooms, elevator, break rooms, small offices etc.)
If you are feeling unwell, the COVID -19 Provincial Testing Guidance remains and any person who presents at least one of symptom or sign COVID-19 will be considered for testing:
- Fever (temp >37.8)
- New or worsening cough
- Shortness of breath
- Sore throat
- Difficulty swallowing
- New olfactory or taste disorder
- Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, abdominal pain
- Runny nose or congestion (in absence of underlying reason for these symptoms, such as seasonal allergies, post nasal drip etc.)
If you have these symptoms, do not come to work, follow our normal absence notification process, including calling EHS and letting your Director/Supervisor know).
What’s new?
Ensuring a patient’s pandemic flag is cleared as quickly as possible
Effective last Friday, the following change is made to o STANDARD 4-044: Bed Allocation Processes for patients with COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19, for suspected COVID-19 patients:
- Note; if the patient was transferred to GGH from a facility currently on COVID-19 outbreak, the flag should remain at “SUSPECT” until cleared by Infection Control,
- When a negative COVID-19 test result is received for a suspected COVID-19 patient, the unit staff should notify bed allocation and request bed allocation change the pandemic flag to “CLEAR”
- Bed allocation will change the flag in LAB LIS in Meditech to “CLEAR”
- The patient must remain on droplet contact precautions, until cleared by Infection Control.
- Once the flag is removed, bed placement will follow usual hospital processes for patient’s diagnosis and normal IPAC algorithms for decision making.
- Patients should continue to be monitored for new onset of symptoms using the IPAC COVID-19 Active Screening Algorithm, and if new symptoms are evident, use the IPAC COVID-19 Tracking Tool.
This change will ensure the pandemic flag is cleared as quickly as possible and will contribute to improved patient flow.
Resources and Supplies
Staff Support
The Balcony Bistro introduces an online Grocery Store!
The Bistro would like to provide a way to make getting the essential food items easy and safe for our Health Care Workers and Hospital Personnel!
Everything we offer will be at MARKET PRICE provided by our supplier! No mark ups, you pay what we pay! Please note, prices may vary depending on supplier pricing as it can fluctuate from order to order and are subject to availability.
We will need one business day in advance to place, gather, organize and pack orders safely and correct. Pick up times will have to be within our business hours and weekdays only.
Orders will be based on “each” unless otherwise stated. Special Orders will be available upon request by calling ext. 2258. To order you must first set up an online account by clicking here.