Thunder Bay hospital increases its COVID response level

THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has increased its internal COVID-19 response level.

The hospital made the announcement Monday, citing a significant rise in the number of cases over the last several weeks.

"This has resulted in an increased number of admissions to both the medical/surgical units and critical care," TBRHSC said.

The hospital's COVID-19 response level has been raised from Yellow (protect) to Orange (restrict).

It had been Yellow since July 4, 2022.

When the Orange response level is in effect, access by designated essential care partners is reduced to two per day, with only one at bedside at a time.

As of Monday afternoon, there were 33 patients admitted to TBRHSC who tested positive for the virus, including one in the ICU.

The hospital currently has one confirmed COVID-19 outbreak, on the 1A Medical and Acute Oncology Unit.

It was declared on July 20.

Ontario's health ministry defines an outbreak in a public hospital as two or more positive test results in patients and/or staff within a unit or service area of a hospital within a 10-day period, where the infections could reasonably have been acquired in the hospital.