The high number of new COVID-19 cases in the Thunder Bay area is due to a backlog of tests according to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
COVID-19 Incident Manager Dr. Stewart Kennedy maintains they are still managing the situation well.
“We have a slow upward progression, but it’s very slow, and it’s very manageable. We’ve known this is going to be in the community, and certainly it’s not alarming,” Dr. Kennedy says.
There are three COVID-19 patients at the hospital, one of whom is in intensive care.
Dr. Kennedy says the qualifications for testing have changed, and the hospital will now look at people with just one symptom of COVID-19. If those symptoms are “vague” like fatigue, he says physicians can do more investigation to look for more signs of COVID-19.
If the patient is what he calls “mildly suspicious,” Dr. Kennedy indicates staff may not be required to self-isolate if they are not wearing full personal protective equipment when dealing with that person. He says that allows them to maintain enough staff to run the hospital.
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit has confirmed 49 cases so far, 22 of which have since resolved.
