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Critical care doctor's second COVID-19 test was negative

Dr. Stewart Kennedy said despite the negative test, the doctor in question will still be treated as positive until he's cleared to return to work.
Thunder Bay Regional Summer
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. (tbnewswatch.com/FILE)

THUNDER BAY – A second COVID-19 test taken from a critical care physician at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre who earlier this week tested positive for the virus has come back negative.

However, because the original test was positive, hospital officials say they will continue to treat the case as if the doctor in question has the coronavirus.

Dr. Stewart Kennedy on Wednesday said Public Health Ontario confirmed the test result.

“We always defer to the positive test,” Kennedy said.

“This physician has been positive and deemed positive for COVID-19 and recovering from COVID-19.” The doctor in question, who has not been named by the hospital for privacy reasons, has been quarantining at home.

He maintains two residences, including one in Thunder Bay, where he’s been on staff at the regional hospital full time since 2004.

The doctor spent two weeks at his eastern Ontario home before arriving back to work at the hospital, where he worked for six days before he showed COVID-19 symptoms and was taken off the job and tested.

Up to 140 staff and patients were tested as a result of possible contact. Another 350 have been tested under guidance from Public Health Ontario, part of a plan to test all front-line workers at the hospital.

Kennedy said despite the negative test, the physician will remain off the job until he gets the all clear.

“Even though the test came back negative and it’s the same test swab we sent down, there is a different methodology that’s done with the testing that’s done by Public Health as well as with ours,” Kennedy said.

“(They) have confirmed that we need to test this as a positive case ... We’re certainly following public health recommendations that are a standard approach to the positivity of this test result.”

Kennedy reiterated the risk of spread was low to begin with, noting the doctor wore PPE for most of his encounters with staff and patients.

He said the hospital did what it was supposed to do under the circumstances.

As hospital staff and administration learn more about COVID-19, Kennedy said it’s become about learning how to live with COVID-19.

“We have to begin to assess the risk of what we have to do as far as the next type of steps, because COVID-19 is going to live with us for a good number of years. And we’re going to have these significant hiccups from time to time,” Kennedy said.

“Each time it occurs we’ll get more comfortable living with the risk of COVID-19 and next time we may not have to shut everything down.”



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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