Covid-19 virus has hit the Saint-Eustache Hospital hard with a rising number of cases. At least 33 patients and 47 staff for a total of 80 people, have tested positive for COVID-19 following an outbreak of the coronavirus in four of the 13 hospital units of the Saint-Eustache Hospital.
These figures, dated July 31, were delivered by the Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) des Laurentides last Monday afternoon.
As of July 30, the CISSS revealed, in a press release, that the Saint-Eustache Hospital was then facing, since the previous Monday, COVID-19 outbreaks in three of its 13 hospitalization units. At that time, 14 patients and 11 employees, total 25 people, had already been affected by COVID-19. To this figure, 55 more must now be added.
The affected patients were all transferred to the Saint-Jérôme Regional Hospital, this being the designated establishment in the Laurentians to receive patients affected by COVID-19. The employees concerned were taken off work and replaced while they isolated.
“We take the situation very seriously and are working hard to stop these outbreaks as quickly as possible. The health and safety of our patients and staff is at stake. Additional protective measures have been put in place in the care units concerned in order to eliminate the presence of the virus. Massive screening of all staff and physicians at the Saint-Eustache Hospital is still underway in order to have an accurate picture of the situation and to prevent further contamination,” was announced from the CISSS des Laurentides communications and public relations team.
Obviously, the CISSS des Laurentides has suspended visits to units affected by these outbreaks for the moment. However, exceptional measures may apply for visitors from humanitarian causes, including users in palliative care or children.
In the press release issued on July 30, the President and CEO of the CISSS des Laurentides, Rosemonde Landry, also asked for the collaboration of the population to prevent the spread of the virus.
“I call on all the people who come to our facilities, whether they be our hospitals or our CLSCs, rehabilitation centers or CHSLDs. It is crucial that protective measures such as wearing a mask, washing hands and respecting the two-meter distance are strictly observed. This is fundamental to help us defeat this invisible enemy. We must not give up! ” she said.
