4th COVID-19 outbreak declared at Windsor Regional Hospital since start of January

A fourth COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Windsor Regional Hospital Tuesday evening.

The hospital's 6N unit is the latest area of the organization experiencing an outbreak, with four positive patients and no positive staff. This news comes after the hospital announced three outbreaks in the last two weeks.

"We expect to experience these situations as COVID-19 continues to spread in our community," said Karen Riddell, WRH Chief Nursing Executive and Chief Operating Officer, in a news release.

"We continue to remain vigilant in ensuring that we have the correct infection prevention and control guidelines and precautions in place to reduce spread of the COVID-19 virus."

In a news release Tuesday, the hospital provided an update on each of the other three outbreaks:

• 4M at the Ouellette Campus has 10 positive patients and five positive staff. Declared in outbreak Jan. 6.
• 6E at the Ouellette Campus has 10 positive patients and six positive staff. Declared in outbreak Jan. 8.
• 4N at the Met Campus has one positive patient and 11 positive staff. Declared in outbreak Jan. 14.

The hospital said that admissions to the units continue, but it keeps COVID-19 patients cohorted.

Transfers into units experiencing an outbreak are required to be approved by the hospital's Infection Prevention and Control department, the hospital said, adding that testing will continue.

Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare is also experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, which was declared on Tuesday.

The hospital said in a news release Sunday that two staff and three patients tested positive on the 3N unit of theDr. Y. Emara Centre for Healthy Aging and Mobility.