HSN sets up enhanced COVID-19 assessment centre
Health Sciences North has set up an enhanced COVID-19 assessment centre in the North Laboratory 1 area of the Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI). HSNRI is located at 56 Walford Rd., 650 metres from HSN’s Ramsey Lake Health Centre. The clinic’s purpose is to assess and, only where appropriate, swab people who may be infected with COVID-19 with a goal of minimizing the significant number of patients presenting themselves to the emergency department at HSN. This COVID-19 Assessment Centre is by appointment only. For safety reasons, walk-in appointments are strictly prohibited. Not everyone who attends the clinic will be swabbed.
Health Sciences North cancelling all non-urgent surgeries for two weeks
Health Sciences North has cancelled all elective and non-urgent surgeries for the next two weeks. Announced late this afternoon, HSN spokesperson Jason Turnbull told Sudbury.com the decision was made to conserve necessary supplies. Urgent and emergency surgeries are unaffected by this move. Patients who are having their elective or non-emergency surgeries cancelled will be notified directly by the hospital.
So far, 55 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Sudbury
Public Health Sudbury & Districts has tested 55 people for COVID-19 as of noon on March 12, and there is still only the single postive case of the infection in Greater Sudbury. Everyone who was tested was asked to self-isolate until the results were received. The health unit is still recommending that anyone who attended the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference last week in Toronto, where the local positive case likely picked up the virus, monitor themselves for symptoms: cough, fever and difficulty breathing. If you attended PDAC and have those symptoms, you should arrange to be tested by visiting Health Sciences North where you will be triaged and tested if necessary. There is still no word on when additional testing locations will be set up. The Ontario government has set up additional sites in various southern Ontario cities, but no announcement regarding additional sites for the North has been made.
COVID-19 cancellations and closures: Send yours to [email protected]
With concerns over COVID-19 locally, we're putting together a list of related cancellations and closures. Email them to [email protected], or post them in the comments below.
Check our running list of closures and cancellations here.
COVID-19 sees Greater Sudbury Police suspend some non-essential services
With COVID-19 concerns, Greater Sudbury Police say they are suspending some non-essential services “in order to reduce the potential spread of illness.” Unless issued by a police officer or court-ordered, tThe police service says it is temporarily suspending non-essential record checks (those seeking record checks for volunteer work) and fingerprint checks. However, GSPS will continue to provide fingerprinting for those who require it for employment purposes.
Read the full story on Sudbury.com
Some daycares closing until April 5 following province's decision to close schools
Daycare centres located in schools with area school boards will be closed until April 5. It was announced March 12 that all publicly funded schools in the province will be closed for two weeks following March Break. Rainbow District School Board, Sudbury Catholic School Board, Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario and Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvel-Ontario all issued statements March 13 announcing daycare centres located within their schools will also be closed.
Read they full story on Sudbury.com.
Ontario identifies 20 new cases of COVID-19, mostly in GTA
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario has risen by 20 since yesterday, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 74. So far, 4,470 people have tested negative for the virus, with 580 still under investigation. Five people have recovered — this number has remained steady for several days. Of the 20 new cases, details are pending for five of them, meaning the gender, age and transmission method is still being investigated.
Sudbury miners who attended PDAC working from home, say companies
Glencore and Vale have a small number of employees — those who attended the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference — working from home. Neither company would put a number on how many employees are self-isolating. An employee with the Willet Green Miller Centre tested positive for COVID-19, as reported by Public Health Sudbury and Districts on Wednesday. He contracted the virus when he attended PDAC. The man, in his 50s, is self-isolating at home. Having Glencore employees who attended the mining conference in Toronto work from home is a precautionary measure, as there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported within the workforce, said Yonaniko Grenon, a spokesperson with the company. It's a similar situation at Vale, said spokesperson Danica Pagnutti. “All Vale employees that attended PDAC are being advised to work from home until after the March Break to satisfy the anticipated incubation period, and we have restricted all non-essential work travel, consistent with global health authority travel advisories,” Pagnutti wrote in an email. She said Vale's Clean AER building is now a general administration office for multiple departments, including the miner's exploration team members, some of whom attended PDAC.
Read the full story on Sudbury.com.
