COVID-19: Outbreak contained at Barrie Memorial, cases still on the rise in the region

The COVID-19 outbreak at the Barrie Memorial Hospital in Ormstown has been contained and is now coming to an end. According to Dr. Catherine Bélanger, the COVID-19 coordinator for the Haut-Saint-Laurent local health network (LHN), there have been no new cases diagnosed since Dec. 22 that are directly tied to the outbreak which first struck the hospital in early December.

“It tore through most of the employees,” says Bélanger, of the 57 individuals who tested positive as a result of the outbreak. In total, 38 employees were infected as well as 19 patients. Fortunately, none of the employees developed a serious case of COVID-19, and says Bélanger, adding that roughly three-quarters of the hospital staff will have now developed a certain level of immunity to the virus that will hopefully last until they can be vaccinated. All of the patients were transferred to the COVID-19 ward at the Anna Laberge Hospital in Châteauguay.

“The situation is much better than it was a week or two ago,” says Bélanger, who is concerned people in need of medical care might continue to avoid the hospital. As of this week, patients were beginning to be admitted to the hospital once again, while strict COVID-19 protocols remain in place.

Medical Centre out of the woods

The outbreak at the Ormstown Medical Centre has also been contained. “We were able to put really excellent measures into place to make sure everyone was safe,” Bélanger says, though she admits the clinic came very close to having to close. “At one point we were down to one secretary,” she says, suggesting they are thankful the CISSSMO was able to send in someone to help while employees were either in quarantine due to the virus or off on preventive leave. “We are very proud of the team,” she says of the way the outbreak was handled. Bélanger says the doctors are also grateful to everyone for their patience and understanding with regard to the Medical Centre as it dealt with the outbreak. “We are out of the woods,” she says, suggesting they will slowly start seeing patients in person again within the next two weeks. The team at the Medical Centre is also now in the process of moving to its new building on Isabelle Street just past the intersection between Highway 138 and Route 201. The new clinic will be open as of Feb. 1.

Number of cases a concern

“We know that people have seen their families,” says Bélanger, suggesting there is little doubt that not everyone followed public health measures prohibiting gatherings over the holidays. “The fire is raging. Everyday there are new cases,” she says. “I don’t remember it being this bad during the first wave. We are spread so thin and we are very worried for our patients,” she says, noting there is extra concern now for elderly patients. “It seems like all we are doing is managing outbreaks.”

Currently, there are reports of a few cases at the Huntingdon Residential and Long-term Care Centre, and the Suroît Hospital in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is fighting an outbreak, with eight patients having been transferred out of the hospital as of Dec. 30. A total of three patients were transferred to the Anna Laberge Hospital, which is now listed as critically short of beds, while the remaining five patients were sent to the Centre d’Hébergement de Châteauguay to receive care.

Amid all of this, Dr. Bélanger says the Ormstown Medical Centre is still taking calls from patients with a cough who are surprised at the suggestion they might have COVID. “It is now circulating. Before there was a low probability, but now if you have a symptom like a cough, it may be COVID,” she says.

Bélanger notes that if anyone is concerned about possible symptoms and would like to see a doctor, they should not waste time by contacting the local medical clinics. Instead, patients with symptoms consistent with the flu, gastroenteritis or COVID-19 in need of a medical consultation should make an appointment with the Designated Assessment Centre (DAC) in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield where doctors are equipped to treat patients with these symptoms. For an appointment at the DAC, contact 450 644-4545 or 1 877 644-4545.