THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is downsizing its COVID-19 isolation unit from 36 beds to 15.
Dr. Stewart Kennedy, who’s heading up the hospital’s pandemic response, said the move comes as hospital occupancy starts to inch upward, from a low of 62 per cent to 72 per cent as of Monday afternoon.
The hospital currently has two confirmed COVID-19 cases in hospital, one in the intensive care unit, and 27 presumptive cases awaiting test results.
Higher-priority surgeries are expected to resume this week at Thunder Bay Regional and Kennedy said the excess beds, which aren’t being used, could be better served elsewhere at the 389-bed facility.
“We’ve designed the 15 beds to a certain unit, so when we have to ramp back up, we can do it within a day,” Kennedy said.
“Also it’s been done quite safely. We’ve isolated an area for the 15 patients that’s still part of the hospital, but can be isolated with doors and security and an extra nursing station.”
The work will take place relatively quickly, Kennedy added, noting at no time have they had more than nine patients in the isolation ward.
“It’s going to be done this week sometime. We’ve have a whole team working on it. We have infectious control and policies working on it. So when you come to the COVID-19 unit, certainly all precautions will take place,” Kennedy said.
“And when you come to any beds outside that unit, there are still infectious disease protocols that are followed (so) that the patients are safe if they’re exposed anywhere close to that unit.”
Kennedy said in addition to the return of some surgeries, patients are also starting to return to the hospital’s emergency room for treatment.
“Individuals have held on for quite some time with their other medical problems and they’re coming to the emergency, which is a good thing. When they come to emergency, their acuity level is up, and when their acuity level is up, then they’re being admitted to the hospital to make sure they’re getting the care that’s needed,” Kennedy said.
Prior to the pandemic’s onset, the hospital normally operated at about 110 per cent capacity, so there is still plenty of room for new patient admissions, whether for COVID-19 or other afflictions.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were 74 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Thunder Bay District, with 56 of them being considered resolved. Seventeen were listed as active. There has been one death attributed to COVID-19 in the district.
