THUNDER BAY — The arrival of the Omicron variant has officials at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 in the city and region.
For now, however, the hospital will not reopen a dedicated COVID-19 care unit that was closed in mid-July.
The unit on 3A was opened in February, and treated 261 patients over the ensuing five months.
At various times, it was occupied by several dozen patients who had the virus.
When it was closed, there were no active COVID-19 cases anywhere in the District of Thunder Bay.
As of Tuesday afternoon, TBRHSC had four patients who had tested positive for the virus
Three of these individuals were in the intensive care unit.
Two of the four patients were district residents, and two were from outside the District of Thunder Bay.
A hospital spokesperson said in a statement "We are prepared to reactivate our COVID-19 unit if needed, and continue to monitor the situation within our hospital and in the community."
As of Tuesday morning, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit reported 65 active cases.
In the western part of the region, the Northwestern Health Unit reported 102 cases, including 52 in the Kenora area.
The City of Kenora has declared a state of emergency, and is asking the Ontario government for help to manage the outbreak.
