Three dead so far in Tillsonburg hospital outbreak

The COVID-19 outbreak is coming to an end at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, but three patients have died since it was first declared on May 5, President Sandy Jansen announced on Wednesday, May 26.

She was participating in a weekly news conference conducted by Southwestern Public Health Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock.

Ms. Jansen said the outbreak was declared there after patients tested positive for COVID-19.

The hospital immediately went to its highest level of safety precautions for patients and staff, and started testing everyone, she continued. By May 7, 10 patients in two in-patient units and four staff members had tested positive.

Ms. Jansen said Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital closed its in-patient units to new admissions, though those already on those wards remained. Most of the 40 beds were occupied at the time, but since then have gradually declined in numbers as patients were discharged.

New admissions were sent to Alexandra Hospital in Ingersoll, which Ms. Jansen is also president of, and Woodstock Hospital.

The emergency department, intensive care unit and ambulatory care remained opened, and urgent surgeries continued, she said.

The most recent round of testing on Thursday, May 20, revealed no additional positive cases.

To date, 15 patients and five staff members had tested positive. Five remain in hospital but had recovered from COVID-19, six had been discharged, one patient still had COVID-19 and remained in hospital and, sadly, three patients had died, including one that morning, Ms. Jansen said.

Asked by The Aylmer Express how many hospital workers in Tillsonburg had so far received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Ms. Jansen answered 62.4 percent.

(Two weeks earlier, a St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital representative had reported over 70 percent of the staff there had similarly received at least one dose.)